Paved with good intentions
by Vanishing Trooper
Summary: Sometimes, two points of view could be looking at the same thing but end up seeing completely different things. An unexpected summoning brings the first Gandalfr to a new land. Was this a second chance given or simply a sick punishment to prolong one's suffering. In the end one can only walk forward lest they allow themselves to rot with the past.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Okay! This is a little something I wrote to get back into the groove of writing. After playing Darksiders 2 for a solid week, I hit a sort of writers block when I tried to get back to writing Be Careful What You Wish For. I just didn't have motivation. So, I decided that a change of pace would be good and this is the result.

We've all had summons, reverse summons, multi-summons, and whatnot. But what if a reverse summon happened with absolutely no involvement of any Void Mage? It's more likely than you think.

Please enjoy this oneshot~!

Disclaimer: Leo-sama~

…

"Sa...sha..." Her name. Her name was the last word he ever uttered before he died. Hearing her name spoken by him in such a way made her grit her teeth even more, giving her enough strength to drive her sword deeper into his chest.

Could there have been another way?

Was this really how it was supposed to end?

After everything they've worked for?

After everything they've been through?

That she would be the one to end the life of the man she loved?

That he would be the one who would have ended her entire race otherwise?

"Haa...haaa...HAAAAAA!" The elven woman screamed as she pulled her sword free from the body of her love. She staggered back from the motion and nearly fell over but she was able to catch her balance. Without any support, Brimir Ru Rumiru Yuru Viri Vee Varutori, the very first Void Magician, Sasha's master, lover, and the man she swore to protect, fell backwards without any other reaction. Dead.

Sasha loomed over the Brimir's dead body, her mind trying desperately to form a coherent thought after all that happened. She could not think...but she could feel. She felt the heat of the fires that burned all around them, the fallout of the battle which culminated in her current situation. She was wounded. She had burns. She thought that she broke a few ribs too. Not really surprising considering she wore what amounted to brown thigh-high leather boots, very short tan shorts, and a white sleeveless cloth shirt.

_Still better than what I used to wear during our travels..._ Was the first coherent thought she had. Sasha tried to blink but the tears she had shed throughout the ordeal and the ash that was now choking the battlefield made the action hurt a great deal. Her subsequently blurring vision then settled on the weapon she personally forged and enchanted. The thing she has used to kill so many, least among them the body that laid before her.

"Well? No witty remarks? No nonchalant sexual comments about my current state of dress?" Sasha bitterly spat out to her sword. Still, the normally talkative sword remained silent. The elf scowled at the lack of a response before her thoughts turned as bitter as her emotion.

"What? Did tasting Brimir's blood leave a sour taste? How different is it from all of the others we've cut down?" Sahsa jeered at the sentient sword. The edge of its blade still dripped with the blood of its latest kill yet the sword remained silent.

"What's wrong? Rendered speechless because of how absurd everything turned out?" The elf tried one more time but once more met nothing but silence from the blade. That seemed to have been the last straw for the Gandalfr and she lashed out at the closest available target.

"Answer me! I said answer me you piece of crock!" Sasha screamed at the sword before driving the blade into the ground. Still, the sword remained silent.

"Why? Why won't you talk to me? Did killing him kill you too? Why won't you say anything Derflinger? Did I really just lose everyone I ever cared about?" Sasha asked her sword again, pleading to the blade to affirm that she wasn't alone. There was a long period of silence that followed. The Gandalfr would have sobbed if she had any tears left to shed at the moment. Then, just when she almost convinced herself that killing her lover somehow dispelled the enchantments she put on her sword, Derflinger's quillon started to move.

"There wasn't really anything I could have said that would have made you feel any better about killing Brimir." The sword muttered with its quillon moving in a way a crude mouth would.

"You idiot..." Sasha responded before pulling the blade out of the ground. The Gandalfr took a breath before turning her attention back one more time to her dead lover.

"We better get out of here. We really don't want anyone from either side to find us like this." Derflinger pointed out, reminding Sasha about the very real risk of being found by either the elves or humans. Neither of which would have been very friendly because of her previous exploits and what she had just done. The sword also wanted its creator away from this place in order to prevent Sasha from trying to do something crazy and stupid. Sasha had just killed the person she loved above all others. Derflinger knew that there wouldn't be anything that Sasha won't be able to bring herself to kill after that.

Sasha closed her eyes again before nodding. She turned away from the body and ran her left hand through her short blonde hair. The action made her grimace due to the resistance her hair gave, reminding her that she could really use a nice long hot bath. She sighed and put the idea at the back of her mind for now before looking around the immediate area and giving out a thoughtful hum.

"Your scabbard is gone..." Sasha said after remembering that she tossed it aside at some point after pulling the sword out in anger and desperation.

"Yeah, I noticed. Looks like you'll need to make me a new one later, eh?" Derflinger jibed in a token attempt to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah..." Sasha trailed off as she tried to leave the area before noticing that her sword suddenly seemed to have felt heavier.

"Did you put on weight, Derflinger?" The Gandalfr asked as she shifted her grip on the sword to be able to hold it with both hands.

"You calling me fat?" The sword shot back. Sasha didn't answer since she was mildly confused by what she felt. Derflinger wasn't heavier. The sword's balance was still the same as the way she designed it to be. Even so, she was putting in more effort to move it around. No, there 'was' something different...just not something with Derflinger.

"Partner?" The sword called out after its creator became silent for several moments. Sasha blinked, pulling herself free from her own thoughts.

"It's nothing, Derflinger. Let's get out of here." Sasha answered before walking off. She decided that she would deal with the strange sensation after she was sure that they were in a relatively safe place.

The idea was sound but the execution was harder than she had anticipated.

The sensation of her sword being heavier, even though its actual weight never changed, was proving to be far more taxing on her than she initially thought. After walking for over an hour in order to reach a nearby forest, Sasha was practically dragging her sword on the ground after being unable to lift it anymore. The Gandalfr walked on regardless of her fatigue or injuries and eventually made it well within the forest she entered.

"Ow! Watch the rocks!" Derflinger complained after bouncing off some rocks on the ground. Sasha was too tired to respond but she did make an effort to avoid any rocks on the ground that she could. The elf eventually reached a small quiet glade and immediately thought it prudent to walk to the middle of it before lying down on the grass.

"Hey partner, you still with me?" Derflinger asked Sasha, who was still holding onto the sword with her right hand.

"Tired...just...need...a...bit..." Sasha muttered as she started to slip into unconsciousness. She could sense something approaching but was too far gone to be able to do anything about it. Before she lost herself to the darkness she could hear Derflinger trying to yell something but Sasha couldn't make it out.

"A dog? Hey! What are you doing with that dagger! What the?! Partner! Partner! Wake up! Wake-" Was the last thing Sasha heard before she felt nothing but comfort and warmth.

...

Sasha couldn't help but smile as she felt a cool comforting breeze blow across her whole body. After nearly baking in her last battle for a number of reasons, the current sensation was hard to complain about. She was wondering about her dream though as she felt as if she was falling for quite some time now.

In fact...

"Aaaaaaaaaaahh!" She even swore that she could hear Derflinger screaming in pure terror as if they really were falling to their doom.

Wait...

"Wake up partner! Wake up! Wake uuuup!" Sasha opened her eyes at the sound of her sword's frantic screaming and blinked a few times. She was a bit confused about the current situation as she was fairly certain that she fell asleep in a forest and not roughly three hundred fifty-seven feet above the ground.

"Derflinger?" The elf called out to her sword as she adjusted her grip on it.

"Partner? You're awake! Thank the stars!" The 'Devourer of Magi' exclaimed in relief. Sasha merely nodded to her sword before adjusting herself so she was now facing the rapidly approaching ground instead of the boundless blue sky.

"Weird. I never expected that death would feel quite like this, or that the afterlife would have so many islands floating in the air." Sasha mused as she and her sword continued to freefall.

"We're not dead!" Derflinger emphatically stated, making Sasha blink.

"Then how-" Sasha was about to ask but was cut off when a warm and comforting feeling enveloped her once more. This time though, it was within the visible spectrum in the form of a pink glow which surrounded her.

"Some mutt with blue eyes and an orange scarf suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stabbed some weird dagger into the ground and then the dagger made some sort of magic circle and-" Derflinger started but was interrupted by its wielder.

"Stop. That already makes no sense at all." Sasha stated before rubbing her eyes with her left hand.

"You're pretty calm for someone who is about to fall to their death!" The sword shot back in obvious worry and panic.

"We're not falling to our doom anymore. We're being drawn to something, probably that floating island over there." The elf observed when she felt that she was not longer strictly falling in a straight line.

"And how can you say that for certain?" Derflinger inquired but clearly lost much of the strain in its voice.

"The energy that is surrounding us is obviously magical and our trajectory changed after it appeared. In addition, that particular floating island seems to have some sort of platform built on it and there seems to be someone there." Sasha observed in a clinical and almost disinterested manner, her droopy eyes looking lazily at their apparent destination.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Her sword asked after the nonchalance shown by its creator and wielder.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've nearly fallen to my doom. It sort of loses its novelty after the third time Bri-" The Gandalfr suddenly grimaced after nearly saying the name of the man she recently killed. Remembering what happened, the events that eventually led up to her final solution to save her race from complete destruction...it made her want to throw up her insides.

"Sorry..." Derflinger quickly muttered and Sasha merely responded with a grunt. An unspoken agreement between them passed to let the rest of their 'flight' be spent in silence.

...

Millhiore Firianno Biscotti, the young princess of the Republic of Biscotti, waited with bated breath as she watched a pink streak of light approach the sacred summoning platform she stood before.

This was the moment she had waited for, the moment her country had waited for. Loss after loss against the Galette Lion Dominion had put her country in a rather bad position. She didn't know why her old friend, Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois suddenly went on a campaign in a bid for total domination of Biscotti. It finally got to a point wherein she personally vowed to turn her country's fortune around through the use of an ancient and honored ritual in times of great strife.

Millhi felt her heart race at the prospect of successfully summoning and meeting the hero she has been admiring even before Galette's campaign started.

An unassuming, sleepy-eyed young woman who didn't seem to be the type who actively fought in battles. One who wielded a sword that seemed too large for her, yet fought with such skill and grace that the princess believed could even be a match for the likes of Dame d'Arquien.

A brave young woman who faced odds that would have overwhelmed most others. Fighting valiantly against superior numbers yet still emerging victorious. One who fought not for power, nor for pride, nor for glory...but to protect those precious to her.

Indeed, such a person is exactly what Millhi and Biscotti needed.

The young princess couldn't help but hold her breath in anticipation as the pink streak of light finally settled on the summoning platform. She took a few hesitant steps forward with her hands over her chest and her tail wagging from side to side.

The light turned into a shape that resembled a closed pink tulip. Like the flower that it resembled, it opened up to reveal the very person she had been waiting for.

Sasha had settled into a crouching position which was set to allow her to quickly launch herself at any threat while making herself a small a target as possible. She held Derflinger with both hands to her side in a position that would allow her to either strike or block should the need immediately arise.

Well, that was the idea anyway. The problem was that Sasha still felt that her sword was still too heavy for her to effectively wield. She could probably block one strike if she put all her effort into it, but countering and striking back would have been a problem for her. At the very least she hoped that the way she looked would deter any attempt at attacking her at the point of contact.

She was prepared to take on an evil magician, a demon, a monster, and a great many number of other threats. She had already done so before, there wasn't any reason to expect otherwise considering the nature of her current circumstance.

So imagine the Gandalfr's surprise and confusion when she instead found herself face to face with a girl that looked like she had just entered maidenhood. Sasha narrowed her eyes at the girl's fine pink dress and white cloak, a sure sign of nobility or at least one who was well enough off. Sasha noted her demeanor and her overall presence which seemed to support her assessment of the girl before her. Her vibrant pink hair and disarming smile seemed to punctuate her feel as a girl of noble upbringing. Even her dog ears and tail seemed well groo-

Sasha's elven ears twitched at the oddity. Human appearance. Check. Fine clothing. Check. Pink hair. Check. Pink dog ears. Check. White-tipped pink wagging dog tail. Check.

"I must be losing my grip on reality, likely from blood loss or fatigue or getting hit on the head..." Sasha muttered to herself before shaking her head. Millhi simply continued to stare at her with a wide smile on her face and her pink tail wagging. Wagging. Wagging.

Sasha found her droopy eyes strangely entranced by the constant side-to-side motion of the fluffy pink tail.

"Umm..." Millhi started, trying her best to break the ice between her and her summoned hero.

"Who are you and what have you done to me? Depending on your answer, things may get...inconvenient." Sasha responded with the standard questions when one encounters a local after finding one's self in a strange new land. Instead of being intimidated or threatened, the pink haired girl simply gave her a brilliant smile before performing a curtsy.

"Good day to you honored hero. I am Millhiore Firianno Biscotti, princess and representative of the Biscotti Republic. I welcome you, oh great hero from another world, to ours. This is the world of Flonyard. I have performed the rite of summoning of a hero which brought you here. I did so in hopes that you would aid us in our time of dire need." Millhi finished her introduction and explanation before smiling at Sasha once again and awaiting her answer. Rather eagerly so, if her wagging tail was to be believed.

"Hero? I don't understand what you're trying to say?" Actually Sasha did have an idea but she didn't really like the implications of it. At the very least, she considered that the dog-girl princess in front of her was not out to kill her...directly anyway.

"Yes. My country is currently facing a great crisis. Our neighboring country, the Galette Lion Dominion, has waged a war campaign against us and we have recently been losing badly. We are in desperate need to help of any kind and the people are in despair because of what was happening with the war." The princess stated in a sad tone of voice while staring at the ground. Her body language reflected her speech as her tail stopped wagging and her ears drooped a bit.

"That is why I decided that we needed one who had the power and skill to turn the tide of war in our favor. We needed someone who can protect. Someone who can inspire. Someone who can lead us to victory." Millhi continued. Sasha's ears twitched when she noticed that the princess' voice regained confidence with each statement.

"We needed a hero!" And then punctuated with that declaration. Her spirit seemed to immediately lift within moments and it did not take long for her tail to start wagging again as she stared at Sasha with eyes that were almost sparkling.

Sadly, Sasha did not share her enthusiasm or sentiment.

"So that is why I am here?" The Gandalfr asked evenly as she stood up, keeping Derflinger firmly held in both her hands, even though she already knew the answer to the question. Millhi was oblivious to subtle change in Sasha's tone and the way she was looking at her. The princess eagerly nodded and was about to speak again but Sasha cut her off.

"And why should I help you?" Sasha asked in a low voice. The question was a fair one but not something that the princess was expecting.

"I...umm..." Millhi tried to form an answer that would have satisfied her hero but the suddenness and harshness of Sasha's question got her off balance.

"You 'summon' me, as if doing something like that was completely normal. You don't even ask for my consent before throwing me into you world? You don't even give an explanation beforehand? You didn't even care how tired or injured I was when you did so? And now you want my 'help'?" The elf woman interjected as she felt her anger rise. To do such a thing to her after what she just went through. If her sword wasn't so heavy for her at the moment, she would have already threatened to cut the girl down where she stood. Damn the consequences.

"Umm...partner?" Derflinger finally spoke up for the first time as the sword tried to get its creator's attention. Sasha never heard her sword because Millhi suddenly looked shocked and worried.

"What injured? Tired? Why? And he should have been able to-! Tatsumaki!" The princess asked in near panic before calling out to someone while looking around. Her call was answered by a bark that came from behind a group of boulders.

"It's the mutt!" Derflinger exclaimed as Tatsumaki came into view. The dog was wearing the same orange scarf but also had a strange ornate dagger in its mouth.

"Mutt? Wait..." Sasha asked before a look of realization showed on her face.

"Yes! That's the dog I was talking about. You were passing out when that thing walked right up to us and stabbed that dagger it has into the ground! The summoning circle we got sucked into came from that thing!" Derflinger explained, all of which provided enough information for Sasha to work with.

"You sent your 'pet' to summon me while I was unconscious?" Sasha asked, clearly not happy with such an implication.

"What? No! I sent Tatsumaki to meet you and give you a letter with a formal invitation to come to our country to become our hero!" Millhi insisted. After all, it was indeed what she did when she sent out the scarfed dog to Halkeginia to make contact with Sasha. Obviously, it didn't really turn out that way. The princess' attention went to the dog when it started barking over and over again as if trying to explain itself to her. Interestingly enough, Millhi actually nodded along with it like she really could understand what the dog was saying.

"I see now...I understand. Thank you for telling me that, Tatsumaki." Millhi stated before giving the dog an appreciative scratch behind the ear. She then turned back to Sasha and gave her a completely serious look.

"Do you still feel tired or hurt anywhere?" Millhi suddenly asked while slowly approaching Sasha.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm-" The elf paused when she realized that she was indeed no longer feeling weak and tired nor did she feel her injuries. The burns, the broken ribs, the bruises, the fatigue. All gone. She looked down at herself and saw her skin and even her clothing were all unblemished.

"How?" Sasha immediately asked, both to herself and to Millhi. The princess let out a sigh of relief after finding out that her hero was not hurt in any way anymore.

"The summoning ritual ensures that the hero that was chosen is to be sent to Flonyard at the peak of their health. I did not initially know why such a power was needed until Tatsumaki told me about your condition when he found you and the many angry armed men who were approaching your weakened self. I am very happy that you are alright." Millhi explained but remained a respectable distance away from the elf, lest she made her angry again. Sasha mulled over the information provided to her and she stared at the scarfed dog with a look of surprise.

"The dog did it on purpose to heal my wounds and take me to a safer place…" Sasha stated after piecing together the puzzle. As absurd as it was, she apparently owed her life to the surprisingly intelligent animal.

"That's right! I apologize for the misunderstanding and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive Tatsumaki and myself." The princess affirmed the Gandalfr's guess before apologizing for the abrupt summoning that sent Sasha to her world. The elf stared at the princess for a few moments before sighing.

"You said that you needed help in a war, correct?" She started with a confirmation of a previous conversation point.

"Hey, partner. You're not really thinking of getting mixed up in another war, are you?" Derflinger quickly asked with obvious apprehension.

"Like it or not, I owe them my life. Who knows what would have happened to us if we were found by either the humans or the elves while I was like that?" Sasha pointed out, resigning herself to her fate of fighting another war. The killing of more and more people. In contrast to their mood, Millhi was beside herself in relief and joy. Her hero was not mad at her anymore! In fact, she might be willing to fight for their sake now!

"Thank you! Thank you! I will explain the details once we return to the palace! I'm sure you will perform marvellously in today's battle!" The princess of Biscotti exclaimed. Sasha merely looked at her like she grew a second head. There was a battle going on at that very moment? The question died in her throat as Millhi quickly ran up to her and put her hand on Sasha's arm.

"Please follow me. I have a carriage ready to transport us back to the palace." Millhi said with barely kept excitement. Sasha gave another sigh before nodding. She followed Millhi while still dragging Derflinger's blade across the ground. She mostly ignored the princess' claims that she would have fun in their kind of war, instead thinking of how she could do maintenance on her sword before jumping into the fray. War? Fun? Not for her. Never for her. Even when the princess repeatedly assured her that she would be fine and would have fun, Sasha couldn't accept it. Even in a completely different world…

War never changes.

…

R&R if you please~


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I was having trouble with some of my other writing so I decided to do a change of pace. I had wondered if I could continue Sasha's adventures in Flonyard for said change of pace...so I did. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: TOO SUBTLE FOR YOU!

...

Sasha sat in silence inside the gently moving carriage while looking out the window to the right. The elven woman did so mainly in order to ignore the seemingly constant pleased stare that the so-called princess of Biscotti was giving her from across her seat. The Gandalfr was not unfamiliar with the concept of Hero Worship, Brimir had been exposed to people with such dispositions in the past. However, being the object of said worship herself, Sasha was unsure on how to react to it.

Should she be happy that this young woman looked up to her so much because of how good she was at killing others?

The thought made her tighten her grip on Derflinger, which was at her left side. She idly reminded herself to make a new scabbard for her sword once things have quieted down. Keeping the blade exposed was a bad idea as too many accidents could come about because of it.

She shelved the thoughts of killing and equipment management in favor of simply continuing to experience the view. Sasha had seen strange and wondrous sights in the past during her journeys but the sight she was exposed to at that moment was something else. The massive sprawling forests were nothing new to her but it was a comforting sight nonetheless. She much preferred such a view over deserts, rocky mountains, or the fields of death and decay that had become so common after battle. Her gaze the drifted a little higher and saw the main geographical oddities that she had seen so far. They were more or less islands, except they were floating in the sky instead of being surrounded by water.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Princess Millhiore Firianno Biscotti, or 'Millhi' as she continued to insisted to be referred to as, said after following the Gandalfr's gaze.

"How are such things possible? What is keeping them from floating away or into each other or plummeting to the ground?" Sasha asked while keeping her gaze at the floating islands. She hadn't been fazed by the sight of such things when she and Derflinger first arrived, but now that she actually had time to sit down and think about it...such a thing really was rather absurd. Not only were they floating off the ground without drifting off, they also had their own trees and such and some even had waterfalls that went over the edge of the land masses. In fact, even the platform that was used to receive her after she was summoned was on one such floating geological formation.

"Oh! That is partly because of the blessing of the land thanks to ambient Flognar Power!" Millhi stated enthusiastically, forgetting the small detail that the person she was talking to was a newcomer to Flonyard and would most certainly not have a comprehensive knowledge of such things.

"Flognar Power?" Sasha asked as she slowly tried voicing out the odd term. The princess nodded enthusiastically and Sasha had to resume looking out the window after she noticed the young woman's tail start wagging from side to side again. She wasn't in the mood to get entranced by the fluffy tail at that time.

"It is the sacred power that runs through the entire land. It's what helps our battles so fun~!" Millhi said with a big smile. Sasha once again frowned at the princess for that declaration, her pointed elven ears dipping down a bit in displeasure. She did not vocalize her opinion but Sasha thought that Millhi had no idea what she was talking about or was actually some sort of twisted brutal monster deep down if something like battles between countries was 'fun' for her. If it was the latter, then the Gandalfr considered the very real possibility of having to end Millhi's life herself to save any more suffering because of her.

That was what the elf resolved herself to do while looking right at the unassuming smile that Millhi was giving her. She then turned her gaze to the right when she heard the sounds of explosions as well as the all too familiar screams of men and women.

"Oh! It looks like the battle has become more exciting while I was gone. Come! Let's take a closer look!" Millhi said with a clap of her hands before directing the carriage to a nearby cliff that had an overlooking view of what seemed to be the main battlefield. The young woman quickly opened the door of the carriage as soon as it stopped and beckoned Sasha to follow.

The sheer...enthusiasm that the princess showed when given the opportunity to be able to witness a large scale battle between two countries was disturbing...especially considering all the screams the Gandalfr was still hearing. Sasha reluctantly got off the carriage, making sure to drag Derflinger along with her, walked after the princess. Based on what interaction she so far had with Millhi, Sasha was more and more disturbed by the sheer casualness she treated war and battle. It was like she had absolutely no regard to the lives of those who were spilling their blood on the battlefield. Sasha scowled as she felt her anger continued to build. How in heaven's name could someone as open and unassuming as Millhi consider war in such a—

"Ow! Hey!" Derflinger complained after hitting the ground.

"Aaaww~! They're still pushing us back. We'll need to reinforce our right flank with more soldiers in order to buy time for you to get ready to join-" Millhi started rattling off but if she had turned around she would have seen that the one she was speaking to wasn't paying attention.

Sasha, the first Gandalfr, elven arcane blacksmith, self styled swordswoman, the veteran of several battles both easy ones and hopeless ones, and the one who ended the war between humans and elves dropped to her knees at what she was saw. She shook her head over and over again. Millhiore Firianno Biscotti turned around in wonder and confusion after she heard her summoned hero start giving out a hollow and slightly disturbing laugh.

Deep within the recesses of what was left of her sanity at that moment, Sasha vehemently blamed Brimir for her current situation.

...

"Are you sure that you will be alright?" Millhi asked the elf worriedly from across her seat. The princess guided the Gandalfr back to their carriage after Sasha stopped laughing creepily. It took a bit of doing but she was able to get her back into the carriage before trotting back and retrieving Derflinger as well. It had been a few minutes since they once again started to make their way to their intended destination, the Biscotti Royal Palace, where Millhi planned to have Sasha be prepared to become their nation's hero.

"-!" Sasha grumbled unintelligibly. The Gandalfr was hunched over her seat and had her face buried in her hands.

"A-are you still hurt anywhere, hero?" Millhi asked worriedly while reaching out towards the elf.

"Umm...I wouldn't do that right now if I were you." Derflinger warned from the floor. The sword had the most wonderful view of the two young women and knew better than to spoil such an opportunity by pointing it out...especially with the way its maker and wielder was behaving at that moment. Sadly, Millhi's concern for Sasha's health made her ignore the sound warning given by the sword.

"We can have you checked for further injuries at the palace before you join the battl-" The princess' words were roughly cut off when Sasha slapped away the hand that Millhi was reaching out to her with. Millhi understandably flinched away from the sudden aggression by the Gandalfr. Sasha on her part simply glared at her from her one newly uncovered eye.

"I-I'm sorry! I-" Millhi was about to apologize for offending Sasha in some way when she was cut off once again by the elf.

"Just what kind of sick joke is all this?!" Sasha hissed at the young woman before her. She couldn't understand it. At all. What she saw from atop that cliff. The 'battle' that was being waged between Millhi's country and the one invading them.

"What do you mean? I'm afraid I don't understand." The future Queen of Biscotti asked in return, honestly confused at the words and actions of the elf before her. She had intended and hoped that her summoned hero would be brought to their lands and become their hero. In return she would show their hero a grand time with all the wonders and hospitality their lands could provide. Millhi couldn't understand why Sasha seemed so displeased ever since she arrived here.

"What a cute little coincidence then." Sasha flatly said with a sneer.

"H-hey partner. Maybe you should back off a bit. I don't think-Ugh!" Derflinger tried to protest in Millhi's behalf. However, it was abruptly interrupted when Sasha stomped on its quillon that doubled as its mouth piece.

"That's right, you don't think. Now be quiet sword." Sasha reprimanded the sword before turning back to the still worried looking Millhi. The Gandalfr made it a point to ignore the princess' ears that drooped lower than where they usually were and her tail that had long since stopped wagging.

"You said that you summoned me to th-this...place! Summoned me to become your 'hero' and-and fight your battles for you! You even said that there was one going on right now!" Sasha rambled while gesturing to Millhi with her hands.

"Y-yes I did. We saw the current situation of the battle earlier, didn't we?" Millhi answered before carefully reminding Sasha of what they saw from that cliff.

"That is not a battle!" Sasha seethed, baring her teeth at the princess.

"I was expecting a real battle! I was ready to continue where I left off when you summoned me! I expected to have to start slaughtering your enemies because I still owe you my life! I was ready to spill blood for you! I was ready to kill for you! I was ready to risk my life for you and 'that' was what you wanted me to join?!" Sasha continued her rant. With each sentence she closed in on Millhi until their noses were almost touching.

"Sasha!" Derflinger yelled out, managing to break through Sasha's yelling to get her attention.

"What?!" The Gandalfr yelled back while looking down at the sword on the ground.

"You're scaring the poor girl." The sword said more softly. Derflinger was used to its creator's outbursts back when they were still travelling with Brimir so her temper wasn't anything new.

"I-" Sasha started before she saw the look of worry, guilt, and fear that Millhi was giving her. The Gandalfr backed off and sat back down on her own side of the carriage before burying her face in her hands once again.

"Oh spirits help me..." Millhi felt her heart ache at the way Sasha said those words. She wasn't exactly ready to see her hero, the one she had looked up to for so long, in such a state and speaking as if she wanted someone to save her instead.

"Don't think too bad of my partner here. She's been through a lot lately and...and you sort of summoned her at a really bad time." Derflinger said to the pink princess. The way it worded its statement got the sword a derisive laugh from its creator.

"I see...I'm sorry." Millhi apologized and looked down at her own lap.

"I just summoned you out of the blue because we were in trouble and needed you help. I never considered your situation or even your feelings when you were called here. I didn't...I'm sorr-I-" The princess of Biscotti stated before her voice hitched and tears started forming in her eyes. Millhi valiantly, desperately tried to bite back her tears. She couldn't let herself do something as shameful as cry in front of her hero. Her Majesty, Princess Leo, wouldn't have cried if the Lion of Gallette was in her place at that moment.

"Enough!" Sasha suddenly cut through the gloom inside the carriage with the subtlety of a rampaging wereboar wielding a giant mallet. Millhi suddenly flinched once again and shut her eyes tight at the sudden outburst.

"Stop being scared of me. It's really uncomfortable for me whenever women and children are afraid of me." Sasha mumbled while avoiding Millhi's gaze.

"Can you blame her after you went crazy on her like-Oww! Watch it!" The sword's witty, but correct, remark was cut off when Sasha once again stomped her foot on top of the sword's hand guard.

"I was aware of how I acted in front of her Derflinger. I was there." Sasha deadpanned at the sword before turning her gaze back at Millhi. The elf sighed at how the princess still looked apologetic and a bit frightened.

"Like Derflinger said, you caught me at a very bad point in my life. I...I...apologize for my reactions earlier. The battle I was expecting was something very...different from what you showed me earlier." Sasha apologized while doing her level best to look into Millhi's widening eyes. The elven woman did not want to cheapen the sentiment she wanted to convey by averting her eyes. She was sure that she was likely blushing by the time she finished and she made sure not to think about it. Yes. Not thinking about it at all.

"N-no! Not at all! There is no reason to apologize Hero Sasha! It was all my fault and-" Suddenly flustered with the way her hero suddenly acted in front of her, Millhi brought her hands up and started shaking her head. She made an effort to let Sasha know that she did not blame the elven woman at all for anything that transpired earlier.

"Wait. Just stop for now." Sasha held up her right hand to stop the princess from gaining too much momentum with her ramblings.

"If we keep this up, it will never end. Let's just both admit that we did not meet in the best of circumstances. This ended up with the two of us making mistakes because of our own incorrect preconceptions." Sasha explained with a weary expression on her face. Physically, she was completely fine now thanks to whatever kind of magic their summoning ritual used. Mentally and emotionally though...well she was doing her very best not to think about her mental and emotional health at that moment.

"I...understand. Thank you." Millhi said with a nod and a sweet smile. Sasha nearly started to grumble again after seeing that the princess' pink fluffy tail started wagging from side to side again. Using all of her willpower to resist trying to reach out and touch the fluffy tail, Sasha instead decided to offer her right hand to the princess.

"Let us start over then. I was taught that such a greeting was customary between two people who have just met. I think that this is applicable for our current situation." Sasha explained before clearing her throat.

"Hello. My name is Sasha. It is nice to meet you." The elven woman introduced herself stiffly to the princess. She really did not like this way to greeting would have rather just given her name and be done with it. However, she was able to confirm that Millhi was not a bad person and was actually rather sweet. A bit more effort on her part wasn't that hard if she thought of it in such a manner.

She almost regretted doing so because of how Millhi's smile became a lot brighter and her tail wagged faster. Before she could say anything else, the princess of Biscotti took the Gandalfr's offered hand into both of hers.

"Greetings and salutations Hero Sasha! I am Princess Millhiore Firianno Biscotti! It is an absolute delight and a great honor to finally meet you face to face!" Millhi excitedly reintroduced herself to her hero with the same, nay, with even more enthusiasm than when she did so the first time.

"Oh wow! The girl is practically glowing!" Derflinger exclaimed. Sasha shut the sword up with another foot to the 'face' but the sword quietly noted that it was far gentler than her usual kicks to the sword. Derflinger then internally wondered when it started considering Sasha's kicks as a regular part of its existence.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, can you please explain to me what is going on here. I don't understand the conventions of warfare here. I am very...confused by all of it." Sasha admitted before gently trying to pull her hand out of Millhi's grip. Unfortunately, the princess did not take the hint and simply continued to hold onto her hand.

"Huh?" Millhi asked with a blink and an inquisitive tilt of her head.

"Partner makes a good point. Back where we come from, combat between armies tended to be a lot less...what's the word I'm looking for? Help me out here partner." Derflinger started to add but couldn't quite get the point across.

"Fluffy." Sasha helpfully provided.

"Yeah, fluffy. Also has a lot more smiling involved between enemies which is just kind of disturbing for us." The sword explained considering their past experiences on battlefields.

"Oh! I understand! Would you like me to explain the rules for battles in Flonyard?" Millhie offered with an enthusiastic smile.

"Everything is still rather...disturbing for someone who has fought in much more violent circumstances. So yes, that would help us significantly." Sasha stated with the very first smile she has been able to give to another in recent memory. She simply thought herself caught up with the princess' enthusiasm…and found the feeling agreeable.

...

"Welcome to Biscotti Honorable Summoned Hero!" Sasha took a half-step back at the enthused greeting given to her by six young women, all of whom also sported dog ears and tails, after they arrived at what she assumed was a palace. Judging from their clothing, subservience, and manner of speaking, Sasha concluded that they were servants of some sort.

"Oooh~! I like this place already!" Derflinger declared joyously. Sasha was holding the sword with both of her hands while it rested on her right shoulder. It was easier to move around that way now that she had more room. It also allowed her to rap the sword's quillon with either knuckle easily to shut it up should it run its mouth the way it just did. A convenient way to carry the sword around...so long as there wasn't anyone too close who could end up accidentally being cut or stabbed because Sasha turned around or tripped.

"Welcome back Princess Millhiore!" And they all extended the same greeting to Millhi who was standing at her side.

"I'm back~!" Millhi happily returned the greeting before turning to the elf.

"Allow me to introduce them to you, Hero Sasha! This is the Princess Maid Squad! And this is their leader, Rizel Conchiglie!" Millhi said, indicating to the assembled group as a whole before introducing the one in the middle as their leader. They all looked friendly and harmless enough but their leader, the dark pink haired one who had eyes that seemed to always be closed, felt...different. Not really overtly dangerous but Sasha could at least tell that she was more than just a mere servant.

"And this is our summoned hero, Sasha~!" Millhi then introduced the Gandalfr to her servants in turn. Sasha simply opted to give them all a polite nod.

"Psst! Hey partner! Introduce me! Help a guy out here!" Derflinger whispered to her. Sasha rolled her eyes at the sword's request. How such a personality developed after she created it still puzzled her to that very day. She hadn't even intended to give sentience to the sword in the first place. It just sort of happened. In the end, she simply shrugged the oddity off and decided to just add it to her notes. The techniques, materials, and magic she used to forge Derflinger would likely make any sword sentient...on top of the permanent enchantments she had originally intended for it.

"This is my sword, Derflinger. It is a sword of my own creation and has sentience and intelligence, limited as it is. I ask that you simply keep in mind at all times that it had somehow developed the tastes and personality of an old male pervert. You have been warned." Sasha said to the maids while tilting her head to her right to indicate the single-edged sword on her shoulder.

"Wow, thanks a lot there partner..." Derflinger deadpanned after the maids started looking at it with varying degrees of caution and suspicion.

"You get what you asked for." Sasha retorted simply while adjusting her grip on the sword. She really needed to get a new scabbard for it. Sasha then turned back to Millhi after she heard her giggling at their antics.

"Now then, we have to get you ready for your big debut! Rizel?" Millhi declared with a few claps of her hands.

"Of course, your highness." Rizel responded before walking up to the elf.

"We have prepared your Battle Attire. Please follow my subordinates so they can have you fitted." The friendly maid stated. Battle Attire? Fitted? The elf was caught off guard long enough by the declaration that Rizel was able to relieve her of Derflinger.

"Oooh yeah~! You know just how to handle swords, don't you babe?" Derflinger said to the maid in a voice that it believed to be seductive to females. Not that it would have listened to anyone who would try to correct that misconception though. The sword's behavior was enough to snap Sasha back to her senses to see her sword being held by Rizel.

"I apologize for Derflinger's behavior." The elf said before glaring at her sword.

"Please think nothing of it. Now please follow the others, I will deal with -ahem- take care of your sword." Rizel stated with a beatific smile as she tightened her grip on Derflinger's hilt.

"Oh wow! That's some grip you have there on you bab-ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Sasha blinked at the sword's reaction while being held by Rizel. Unfortunately, she was unable to ask about it as she quickly found herself being gently but firmly guided away by the other members of the Maid Squad.

Sasha was then led into a seemingly random room arbitrarily by the maids with Millhi following close by.

"Why are we he-" Sasha was about to ask but stopped after she felt an intense predatory presence behind her. She barely managed to turn around just in time to see five figures launch at her.

"Wait! What are you all-" Sasha protested as five pairs of hands started grabbing at her clothing.

"Now now~! Don't be afraid dear hero~! We'll be sure to be gentle with you~! Guehehe~" The one with long orange hair stated in a manner that sent shivers down her spine.

"What?! Hey! Where do you think you are touching?!" Sasha yelled at the maids after she felt a pair of hands start groping at her breasts. Sure, the hands that were holding them were soft and gentle in their ministrations, far gentler than Brimir ever was whenever he had the chance to-

"Kya!" The elven woman yelped after she felt her breasts get felt up in a manner she hadn't experienced before. Sasha could do nothing but shut her eyes tightly to focus on keeping herself from making any more weird noises.

"Hmmm...the size is actually pretty ordinary, isn't it?" A voice from behind her asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Not really, it suits her body type well. Neither too small nor too big." Another voice said from her right side.

"True, but I was expecting something more intense considering she is a hero and all." Yet another voice said to her other side.

"Enough of that! Let's begin already! Starting with down below~!" Another one stated before Sasha suddenly felt very drafty.

"I'll get the equipment!" One other voice declared while Sasha almost felt like whimpering. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the giggling, the pulling, the groping, and the touching all stopped.

"Wa~ha~! That's what I call heroic!" The voice of the one who was groping her said.

"You can open your eyes now, Hero Sasha! You look wonderful!" Millhi said excitedly from what the elf noted was a short distance away. The Gandalfr complied and opened her eyes and blinked. Then she blinked again. And again. And again.

"What is all this?" Sasha asked while staring wide-eyed at what the maids have done. Gone were the clothes she wore when she arrived in this land. In its place was the most amount of clothing Sasha had ever worn in recent memory.

Sasha now had something that looked like a cross between a blouse and a dress that reached down almost to her knees. It was secured by a black leather belt that had a gold circular buckle. She also had a white short sleeved coat with black trimmings worn on top of her dress. Her forearms were now also protected with silver arm guards covering red arm wraps. In addition, her legs were now mostly covered by black high stockings that reached up to her thighs. In combination with her dress, it only allowed only a small portion of her thighs exposed. Her feet now sported smooth metal greeves that covered her shins that felt lighter than they should be. To top it all off, she now also had a white fur-lined cape that was red on the inner side.

Most importantly, in Sasha's opinion anyway, it was comfortable. Everything fit so well with her body that it was almost like the clothes that she wore was specifically made just for her to use.

There was just one thing about the whole ensemble that did not sit well with the elf.

"I hate capes. Get it off me." Sasha stated irritably before trying to undo the gold metal clasp at the front that secured the cape on her person.

"What? Why not? They're so stylish!" The orange haired maid complained. Sasha gave her a withering look before shaking her head and continuing to try to remove the cape. She also noted that the fur lining the collar of the cape made her ears itch if they drooped down too low.

"They're a liability in combat. Too easy to catch on fire. Too easy to get caught up in something. Too easy for someone to spot you if you move around in a place that doesn't match the coloring of your cape." Sasha listed out the main reasons why wearing a cape in battle is a bad idea in the practical sense. She should know, she personally had used those tactics to catch idiots who wore billowing capes in battle, both human and elven alike. They looked nice, yes. However, they have a very consistent way of messing you up if you ended up facing someone who knew what they were doing.

"But you can use capes to conceal things!" The maid with blonde hair threw in her argument in a bid to convince me to keep the cape.

"You are talking about a cape. Besides, I'm neither an assassin nor a thief. I have nothing I can conceal anyway. You've all seen my sword, Derflinger. Do you know how dangerous it is to swing around a sword that size while wearing a cape? Aha!" Sasha pointed out before finally being able to take the accursed cape off. She then handed the cape to the brown haired maid who, like her companions, looked rather disappointed at Sasha's denial of their beloved cape.

"Well, I'm sure that Hero Sasha's reasons for not using the cape are taken from wisdom." Millhi gave out diplomatically. The maids seemed to back off after their princess made the final say on the matter. Sasha made sure to give silent thanks to the pink haired princess for that. Still...

"You do not need to refer to me as Hero Sasha all the time. Just call me by my name." The Gandalfr said while placing her right hand on her hip.

"Oh no! We couldn't possibly call you in that manner Hero Sasha!" Millhi protested while waving both of her hands in front of her. Sasha merely tilted her head at the princess and raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's easy. Just say my name without adding Hero at the start. It doesn't really take a whole lot of effort to do. Certainly a lot less than summoning someone from a completely different world to champion you and your country in some sort of sporting-game-battle...thing." Sasha pointed out while gesturing to the princess with a wave of her left hand.

"But that would be disrespectful and..." Millhi trailed off while looking down on the ground.

"Fine, we'll work on that later. Now, how am I supposed to get in there and fight? I'm rather certain that your forces are still being driven back as we speak." Sasha said, shelving the issue for a later time and moving on to the more immediate problem.

"Oh yes, of course! Please follow me! I had Rizel prepare your sword and another special item for your use!" Millhi responded enthusiastically, more excited than fearful that their enemy was steadily advancing to victory. Sasha had to consciously remind herself that the wars here worked differently than they did back home.

Battles that had nigh negligible chances of death or permanent harm to combatants. Wars wherein most soldiers were volunteers who were all more than happy to fight battle after battle after battle and they all enjoy it. Entire military campaigns that can be publicly viewed by civilians, men, women, and children, as a collective form of recreation and entertainment for everyone. Warring states that treat each other more like friendly rivals rather than hated enemies.

It was absurd. It was impossible. It didn't make any sense. However, it was not a disagreeable kind of place in the Gandalfr's opinion. Yes. It was a place she would have liked to show to a few other people. Ones who she will never be able to be with ever again.

Those were the idle thoughts Sasha had as Millhi pulled her by her now armored right hand and guided her to another part of her palace.

...

Millhi led Sasha to another set of double doors several rooms away from where the Princess Maid Squad changed her clothes without her warning or consent. The princess opened the doors to reveal a large state room that was bare save for a pedestal at the center of it all. The apparent leader of the Princess Maid Squad, Rizel as Sasha remembered, was standing next to the pedestal with an oddly quiet Derflinger still gripped in her hands.

"Come!" Millhi said while gesturing for the elf to follow her. As they approached the pedestal, Sasha noted that there seemed to be a small black box placed on top of it. The Gandalfr inferred that whatever was inside was what Millhi wanted to give her. Rizel gave them a bow and a smile when they got closer.

"Greetings Princess. Hero Sasha. My! You look wonderful in your Battle Attire. Although...if I may ask, what happened to the cape?" Rizel greeted them before complimenting on how good Sasha looked in her new clothes and asking about the cape again.

"I don't like capes. And you may simply refer to me as Sasha." Sasha responded tersely.

"But..." Rizel started, her ears drooping down in disappointment like her subordinates did earlier.

"I don't like capes." Sasha merely repeated while placing her right hand on her hip.

"Awww~" Rizel whined. The Gandalfr wasn't really sure why they all seemed to be so fascinated with capes.

"Now now, as Hero Sasha-" Millhi started to say in order to try to soothe her maid before she was interrupted by a rather blatant cough from the elf.

"As...Sasha...said to the others earlier, there is a battle going on outside and we really must hurry before they push too far." Millhi corrected herself before finishing her earlier thought. Rizel nodded quietly before walking up to the elf and offering Derflinger back to her. Sasha raised a brow as she took the sword from the maid's hands. The weight wasn't as much of an issue as it was after she stopped Brimir. Sasha thought that it might have just been because of fatigue from the battle she had just gone through. Derflinger still felt 'heavier' than what it normally did when she wielded it but not cripplingly so that she wouldn't be able to wield the sword effectively anymore. She was still wondering what brought about such a change in the first place when Derflinger spoke.

"Ah! Greetings Mistress Sasha! I must say, you look absolutely dashing in your new clothing! Very debonair and eye catching, yes!" The sword said in a very polite and enthused tone of voice. The sheer...oddity of it nearly made Sasha drop the sword on reflex.

"What are you and what did you do to Derflinger?" Sasha asked the sword in her hands with narrowed eyes.

"I know not what you ask, Mistress Sasha! I am none other than your faithful and trusted blade that you forged and named with your own two hands! I am Derflinger! Devourer of Magi!" The sword declared with utmost confidence. At least Sasha knew that this was still the original one as very few knew of Derflinger's secondary name. Sasha doubted that anyone in Flonyard had ever heard of a sword known as the Devourer of Magi. With that in mind, the elf then turned to Rizel who was giving her a warm smile.

"What did you do to my sword?" Sasha asked while idly waving Derflinger around in her right hand. Yes, definitely heavier than what she was used to but nothing she couldn't handle now...so long as she didn't have to fight for hours on end of course. It was a small detail that was dismissed in favor of the more immediate issue of Derflinger seemingly not right in the head...or hilt...or whatever it was that the sword used to form rational thought.

"Ah!" Rizel gasped out on obvious mock alarm before demurely covering her mouth with her right hand.

"Corrective Maintenance." The maid stated mysteriously. Her closed eyes and likely concealed smile did not really help the intended image of innocence either. Sasha did not find it funny at all and she decided to demonstrate that fact.

"I'm only going to say this once." The Gandalfr stated coolly before lifting the sword over her head.

"Do. Not. Augment. My. Sword. Without. My. Approval. First." Sasha coldly said while slamming the back of Derflinger's blade into the floor over and over again with each word uttered. She momentarily noted how durable the floor was considering it was not damaged at all despite the abuse it just received.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! What in the blasted name of those lazy blobs of magic you call great spirits are you doing you hellion?!" Derflinger yelled out at her. The elf was actually relieved that her sword was now talking the way it was normally supposed to.

"Corrective Maintenance." Sasha said simply to the sword.

"Correcti-Oh spirits! Get me away from that monster! What she did to me while you were gone! The horror! The horror!" Derflinger was about to repeat before it started yelling out like a panicking whelp.

"Quiet." Sasha said before hitting the back of its blade on the floor one more time for emphasis.

"Being quiet." Derflinger responded before speaking no more. Sasha nodded in satisfaction before turning her gaze to Rizel who didn't look amused anymore.

"Hero Sasha! I humbly apologize in Rizel's behalf if her actions were-" Millhi tried to curb Sasha's obvious displeasure but was once again interrupted by the elf with but a single glare. The Gandalfr idly wondered how such a person would fare as a true ruler if she was so easily intimidated. Then again, she also reminded herself that things worked rather differently in Flonyard than they did back home. Huh...home.

"It's just Sasha. Also, you do not have to apologize for something you did not have a hand in doing. You did not order her to do this to Derflinger, she did so by her on initiative. The responsibility is hers alone." Sasha explained before turning to the person in question. Rizel at least had the sense to look apologetic about what she had done. The maid gave a low bow in Sasha's direction before speaking.

"I humbly ask for your forgiveness, Hero Sasha. I merely intended to improve the outward attitude your sword was displaying to others. I had assumed that you were also having trouble with it so I took initiative to try to rectify the issue. I had thought that such a blade that spoke in that manner to women would be insulting to a summoned hero such as yourself. I had hoped that doing what I did to improve the attitude of your sword would give you joy. I...I had merely thought that it was the least I could do considering what you are doing for the sake of Biscotti." Rizel explained herself, though she remained bowed down before Sasha even after she finished talking.

"You don't make it easy for someone to stay mad at you, do you? Stand up straight, Rizel." Sasha admitted before asking the maid to stop bowing to her. She did not say it out loud but Sasha was not really used to random people showing her so much respect. Brimir, sure. Her personally? Millhi was probably the first one in a long while. Slowly but surely though, Rizel carefully stood up straight again and gave Sasha a worried expression.

"If what you did would have been permanent, we would have had...problems…between us. Since there wasn't, I'm willing to overlook this incident this one time." Sasha stated while looking down at her sword before turning back to Rizel who looked much more relieved.

She then surprised both women there by driving the tip of Derflinger into the stone floor just deep enough for the sword to stand there on its own before she rested both hands at the flat of its pommel. It made quite the sight since Derflinger from tip to pommel reached up just past Sasha's chin.

"Make no mistake however. I created Derflinger with my own two hands. Metalwork. Forging. Assembly. Enchanting. Testing. Reforging. Reassembly. Re-enchanting. Testing again. Final touches. Final enchantments. Final tuning. Finishing. All of it." Sasha said before looking at the sword and lightly rapping her right knuckle on the flat of the blade twice before turning back to Millhi and Rizel.

"I spent months of my life alone at my personal smithy in order to make this sword. Because of everything else that had happened in my life since that day, Derflinger is the only proof I have left that I was able to accomplish something with my Arcane Smithing." Sasha continued before turning back to her sword.

"Derflinger is the only proof that I was ever anything more than just that man's elven woman." Sasha muttered softly to herself.

"Did you say something else, H-Sasha?" Millhi asked, barely managing to catch herself from calling the Gandalfr 'Hero' again. Sasha blinked at the question before shaking her head and turning her attention back to Millhi.

"I said that I am very very protective of my work. I refuse to let anyone change something I dedicated too much of myself in creating." She explained while looking right at Rizel.

"I completely understand. I once again apologize for my transgression. I was unaware as to how much your sword meant to you. I can see that you have been through much with Derflinger. I will ensure that everyone is made aware of this as well...especially Miss Ricotta Elmar." The leader of the Princess Maid Squad responded seriously with a determined nod. Although Sasha never caught that last part because her thoughts wandered to what Rizel said before that.

Indeed, Sasha had done many amazing and terrifying things with Derflinger in her hands.

"Now that we have that cleared up, I would like to present you with something very important to Biscotti." Millhi quickly changed the subject while she could and took the little black box in her hands. She then walked up in front of Sasha before opening it to reveal the contents.

"I present to you the divine sword Palladion, the sword of the hero that can only be used by Biscotti's summoned hero!" Millhi proudly presented to Sasha.

"This is one of the two treasured swords of Biscotti. The other being Excelide, the sword of the king that can only be used by members of the Biscotti Royal Family." She continued with a big smile while her tail was wagging energetically once again. Sasha on the other hand merely looked between her and the apparently divine item being presented to her.

"That is not a sword." Sasha clearly stated while pointing at the object in the box. Indeed, the object inside the little black box that Millhi presented to the Gandalfr was in fact a small ring with a red gem in the center. The pink princess blinked at her rather blunt assessment of the ring in front of her.

"Oh! This is just the sealed form of Palladion. If the one who wears that ring is worthy of using its power, it can change shape depending on the user's preferences." Millhi helpfully explained with a warm smile. That got Sasha's attention.

"So it can turn into whatever the user wants?" Sasha asked with mild curiosity and skepticism. It just all seemed too good to be true.

"Yes! The term 'Divine Sword' is mostly an official title and, historically speaking, the heroes of the past had preferred to wield it as a sword anyway." Millhi confirmed with a nod. Sasha didn't even notice the princess' mesmerizing fluffy pink tail wagging faster than it ever had in her presence. The Gandalfr was too busy trying to figure out how such a small artifact, a very old one if Millhi's reference to past users was to be believed, could do such a thing.

"I don't understand. How can it even do that? Such a thing should be impossible." And failing to form any sort of hypothesis on the matter in the immediate present. Sasha pinched the bridge of her nose as the Arcane Blacksmith part of her was trying to decide if she should be ecstatic or insulted by such a convenient magical accessory.

"Why don't you try it and see for yourself? I was going to offer it to you for your use anyway." Millhi suggested before taking out the ring and gesturing for Sasha for her hand. The elf sighed at the request. Under normal situations, she would be adverse to impulsively wear unknown magical rings offered by people she had just met. Then again, this was far from a normal circumstance in her opinion. Reluctantly, though with a pinch of excitement, Sasha offered her right hand to Millhi. The princess graciously accepted her hand and put the ring on her right index finger.

Sasha was quietly thankful that she was not suddenly under some form of mind control or cursed or turned to stone or something else that was just as bad or worse. The elf has had bad experiences with random magical trinkets. It did not help that one of her companions was supposed to be able to flawlessly control any magical items. That person was not as adept at it as the Gandalfr would have liked.

Sasha examined the ring and didn't really find anything special about it at first glance. She then turned to Millhi before shrugging.

"So how do I make it work?" Sasha asked the most obvious question. She was no Myozunitonirun so she couldn't comprehend the full functions of the ring in an instant.

"From what I understand, you are only supposed to visualize what you want Palladion to appear as and it will do so." Millhi provided while giving a thoughtful expression. Sasha thought it straightforward enough. The issue was how to test it out properly. What would be the most appropriate way to test the capability of that item? Sasha was asking herself this just as her gaze drifted back to where Derflinger was still sticking out of the floor.

"Yes, that would work." Sasha muttered to herself before closing her eyes and concentrating. A warm feeling suddenly surrounded her and she instinctively reached out with both hands in order to hold something that was about to appear.

"Oh my, isn't that…" Sasha heard Rizel trail off just as she felt the weight of something in her hands. She opened her eyes and saw her vision realized. It was a Framework Scabbard. Instead of just a hollow piece of solid material in the shape of the weapon it was supposed to contain, a Framework Scabbard has its sides open in order to lower the weight. The only parts of the sword that would be completely covered by it would be the tip and the back edge of the blade itself. The middle of the front edge was still exposed to ensure that Derflinger could still cut things if needed and to still be able to use its main special ability. The scabbard itself was predominantly white with the portion for the tip of the blade having gold metalwork and black trimmings. Sasha turned over the construct several times to check for any imperfections. Finding none, she decided to test it out.

"Hey partner, what was that just now? That white thing in your hands just came out of that ring on your finger. That's…not how things are supposed to work right?" Derflinger pointed out before Sasha pulled the sword free with her right hand.

"A lot of things here don't work the way they are 'supposed to'. As for this…this is your new scabbard." Sasha declared before slipping the sword into the Framework Scabbard.

"What the—ooh~! Comfy!" Derflinger commented after Sasha locked it in place with a soft clink. A perfect fit, easily done since Sasha knew her sword's exact measurements. Now came the second part of her experiment. She lifted Derflinger, scabbard and all, before positioning it at her back like she would if the scabbard was strapped on to her. That was the second thing she wanted to check. Sasha wanted to know if Palladion can change itself while already in a solid state. She got her answer as a tether of orange light came up from her right shoulder before going across her torso and settling back behind her just above her left hip. She let go of Derflinger's grip and felt the familiar weight of a sword strapped on her person.

"Convenient…" Sasha muttered as she started thinking of the possibilities on what can be done with such an artifact.

"Umm…Sasha?" The Gandalfr turned around Millhi's call and saw both her and Rizel looking at her oddly.

"Yes?" The elf asked with a tilt of her head.

"Why did you turn Palladion into a scabbard for your sword?" Millhi asked while pointing at her.

"It is because I'm tired of walking around with Derflinger in my hands all the time. Besides, I didn't need another sword so I had to figure out a way to make use of your gift." Sasha admitted with a shrug. Millhi and Rizel glanced at each other in uncertainty since that wasn't exactly the way they had expected Sasha to use Palladion.

"Now then, I am assuming that you have a plan?" The Gandalfr asked while adjusting the strap on her shoulder.

"Ummm…yes. I'll have Harlan take you to the battlefield to rendezvous with Knight Leader Laurent. He will be able to direct you to your next objective but I think that he will most likely ask you to meet up with his younger sister, Praetorian Knight Captain Eclair to teach you specifics about Emblem Arts." Millhi explained a rather loose plan to the elf.

"Emblem Arts?" Sasha repeated with a raised brow. Millhi nodded with a smile before showing Sasha the back of her right hand.

"The Emblem Arts is a technique that collects and uses the Flognar power that is dormant all around the earth and sky of Flonyard." Millhi explains before slowly closing her eyes.

"By focusing the Flognar power into your own emblem and fusing it with your life power…" The princess trails off just as an elaborate pink emblem made of light suddenly appeared just above the back of her hand. Millhi then extended her right index finger before…

"…you can convert it into spirit power, like so~" Millhi stated cheerfully as a tiny pink glowing orb appeared on her finger before small pink sparkles started flickering on and off around it.

"This is…" Sasha trailed off as she walked up to Millhi for a closer look.

"You can do many things with spirit energy. However, warriors tend to utilize the Emblem Cannon the most." Millhi explained before ending the simple demonstration. Sasha wondered what an Emblem Cannon was supposed to be but decided to shelf the thought, she first needed to learn how to harness this spirit energy if everyone else was already capable of doing so.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Sasha asked with an intense expression before taking Millhi's right hand into both of hers.

"W-well, I can certainly teach you how to activate your seal Rizel gets Harlan ready for you. Eclair can teach you the rest." Millhi responded with a nod.

"Harlan?" Sasha asked with a raised brow.

…

The battle between the soldiers of Biscotti and Galette was at a fever pitch with the cat soldiers steadily pushing back the dog soldiers. Live color commentary on the progress of the battle was being delivered via a giant holographic cube above the main battlefield and on other locations as well for spectators. Sasha peered down at the battlefield from the back of the Cercle, named Harlan.

"There it is." Sasha stated while pointing at a group of Biscotti knights who were almost encroached upon by Galette soldiers. At the head of their formation was a man in full plate armor with a cape and wielding a spear. His description matched that of the Knight Leader that she was supposed to meet so she asked Harlan to approach. As they flew closer, the face on the cube display suddenly changed into that of Millhi. She was smiling at whoever was apparently watching before giving them a small wave.

_People of Biscotti, people of Galette, please lend me your ears! While our Biscotti has been having defeat after defeat as of late, today will be the last day of that disappointing outcome from every battle. This is because a wonderful hero who brings hope and victory to Biscotti has arrived!_

"Is that truly necessary?" Sasha asked to no one in particular.

"Well, she's just helping out for our grand entrance you know. We might as well make sure that ours is memorable, right partner?" Derflinger…or one could say Derflinger-Palladion said. Sasha nodded before reaching back and pulling at the sword. The strap across her torso disappeared, allowing her to pull out Derflinger-Palladion it its entirety without separating the sword from the scabbard.

"Since you are so enthused about it, why don't you make your entrance first?" Sasha asked before dropping the sword tip first just in front of the Biscotti knight formation she was going to.

"This is not what I wanteeeeed!" Derflinger screamed out as it plummeted to the ground. Harlan flew a bit lower for Sasha's own entrance and the elf tapped the bird's neck to get its attention.

"Thank you Harlan, I can take care of it from here." Sasha stated before jumping off the bird and landing next to Derflinger-Palladion which was nearly a third of the way driven into the ground.

"Was that really necessary?!" The sword complained to its wielder just as Sasha pulled it out of the ground.

"Well, you wanted a memorable entrance." Sasha pointed out with a shrug.

…

"Knight Leader Laurent?" Sasha asked the man who walked up to greet her.

"Indeed. You must be the hero Princess Millhiore summoned. I am Knight Leader Laurent Martinozzi, it is an honor to finally meet you Hero." Laurent formally introduced himself before offering his right hand in greeting. Sasha sighed before pulling Derflinger-Palladion out of the ground and securing it once again on her back. She then turned back to Laurent and regarded him more closely. Like all the other she had met, the man also sported dog ears, though his were drooping down the sides of his head. He had light brown hair that was neatly cut and also had honest dark blue eyes. Add to that his overall stature and the way he carried himself, Sasha was rather relieved to finally meet someone who actually looked like they knew what they were doing. It also helped that he was very easy on the eyes.

"Well met Sir Laurent. You may refer to me as Sasha." The Gandalfr returned the greeting before accepting Laurent's handshake and tilting her head to the right to indicate her sword.

"This is my sword, Derflinger. I am currently using Palladion in conjunction with it for efficiency and convenience." Sasha said, thinking that it would speed things along if all introductions were done early.

"Hey there! Nice to meet you! I heard you have a sister! Is she single?" Derflinger spoke up from behind its wielder before immediately inquiring about the Knight Leader's sister. Sasha sighed before letting go of Laurent's hand and rapping her knuckle on the offending sword's grip.

"I apologize for my sword's behavior. It can be very...direct in certain subjects." Sasha stated in a tired tone of voice.

"W-well, no matter. I am actually rather impressed that our hero already wields a magical sword, one that speaks no less. Now then, I am hoping that the princess has already explained the rules of engagement to you." Laurent took the surprise of a talking sword in stride before changing the subject to something was more important. Sasha nodded in remembrance of Millhi's explanation of how wars in Flonyard were fought.

"Yes. All battles are only allowed to be waged in sanctioned battlefields approved by both sides of the conflict. Invading forces can only proceed through pre-designated courses presented by the defending forces before the battle begins. No battle can begin until relief and rescue forces have inspected the entire battlefield for safety and have set up aid stations at several points of the course. Victory can only be achieved through a declared surrender by the enemy leader, capture of the main enemy base, or by pure domination in points in the battlefield, mainly by defeating enemy soldiers and officers, until the time limit for the battle runs out." Sasha listed out the general rules when it came to battles between to warring sides.

When she had first heard them, she could neither believe nor understand the necessity of such strict regulations in battle. Millhi then patiently explained that, while battles are taken seriously by both sides, it did not mean that they could not take steps to ensure the safety and enjoyment of those who willingly participate in them. To be fair, Sasha thought that she was taking the whole concept rather well considering how abruptly the idea of a completely different way to fight wars was shoved into her face.

"Excellent! And I am confident that you also know the various approved ways on how to deal with your foes, yes?" Laurent nodded in approval before moving on to the next point he wanted to go over with Sasha.

"Three primary means were explained to me by Millhi. The first is the most straightforward one, simply hitting someone with enough force to 'defeat' them. The second is by touching the back or the head of you opponent, doing so would immediately 'defeat' the enemy and provide bonus points if done successfully. The third is by using Emblem Arts, these are usually reserved to deal with large numbers of infantry or against enemy officers." Sasha stated with a thoughtful expression. The Gandalfr already thought that using the second method of defeating enemies would be the best course of action considering the current situation of the battle. It was risky but it would yield the most points-per-defeat, which was honestly the only realistic way for their side to win at that point in Sasha's opinion.

"Good. Now, one last question for you Hero Sasha. After being summoned here to Biscotti...how to you feel about our princess?" Laurent asked a question that made the elven woman raise an eyebrow. Sasha wondered why the knight leader would ask such a question, at least while they were in the very verge of defeat. She then decided to just answer after seeing Laurent give her an expectant look. Sasha thought that lying to him would be insulting so she just gave him her honest opinion about Millhi.

"Your Princess Millhiore Firianno Biscotti is foolish, naive, impulsive, and far too trusting in others to be an effective ruler." Sasha stated without sentiment.

"Wow, nice to see you still have the tact of a charging dragon partner." Derflinger commented as Sasha stared at the incredulous looks that Laurent and the other soldiers there were giving her.

"Thank you for that, Derflinger. However, I also believe that Millhi is a very kind person and someone who genuinely cares for the well being of her people both as their princess and as simply a person. I...in the world I had come from...people could have benefited greatly if there were more rulers like her. She is a very warm person." Sasha admitted sheepishly to the growing smiles of Laurent and his soldiers.

"She has her merits and shortcomings, just like everyone else. I find it refreshing to have met a ruler who feels like an actual person, not who pretends to be something more than who and what they truly are. Biscotti is lucky to have her." Sasha clarified and barely managed to finish her words before a large gloved hand gently but firmly clapped her left shoulder.

"Magnificent! I thank you for answering honestly, Hero Sasha. Truly, it seems that Princess Millhiore has indeed summoned a beautiful and magnificent hero." The knight leader declared with a proud smile on his face. Sasha glanced away and tried hard not to blush at the earnest and blunt compliment given by the knight leader.

"It is nothing...and please simply refer to me as Sasha." The Gandalfr sheepishly muttered.

"I couldn't possibly..." Laurent was about to protest but was silenced when Sasha placed her left hand on top of the hand on her shoulder.

"Please, just Sasha is fine. I am still...uncomfortable at being referred to by such a title." Sasha admitted while looking up into the eyes of the taller man, the action making the knight captain freeze where he stood.

"So...ummm...are we going to fight or what?" Derflinger suddenly asked and showed that both sword and wielder had roughly the same amount of tact. Sasha nodded before letting go of Laurent's hand and turning away from the knight.

"Ah! Yes, of course! Please meet up with my sister Eclair deep within the battlefield. She would be the most suited to teach you more about Emblem Arts and it would give you both a chance to make a push into Galette territory." The knight captain agreed, quickly regaining his composure before giving Sasha her instructions.

"A push into enemy territory with only two people?" Sasha asked with a curious tone of voice, intrigued with the oddly bold plan.

"Indeed. Sadly, we can no longer win in a battle of attrition. Our only hope now for victory is to send in our best into the heart of the enemy. You and Eclair would then either be able to accumulate enough points to overtake Galette or defeat the commander of the opposing army." Laurent explained their plan of action.

"Oh? Completely dominate the regular soldiers or go straight for the enemy general directly. I understand." Sasha repeated before nodding in acknowledgement of their plan.

"Enemy attack!" Both Sasha and Laurent turned at the sound of the shout from the soldier.

"So they have already made it this far..." Laurent stated grimly before readying his lance and shield. Sasha pulled Derflinger-Palladion off her back after seeing the charging soldiers in the distance. Their current position had a minor obstacle in the form of a small artificial river. It was more of an inconvenience than an actual obstacle since there were several floating logs close to one another that served as a rudimentary bridge.

"We will prevent any further advances here. Please proceed to Eclair's location and work with her to win this battle." Laurent declared before stepping in front of Sasha with the intention of meeting the charging Galette soldiers head on.

"Alright, just as soon as I take care of the ones in front of us." Sasha stated calmly before stepping forward past the knight leader and pulling Derflinger-Palladion from her back holding it with just her right hand.

"What?" Laurent asked even as Sasha continued to slowly walk forward.

"The best way to win now is to accumulate points. The easiest way to do so is by defeating enemy soldiers. Might as well start somewhere. You ready, Derflinger?" Sasha pointed out before calling out to her trusted sword.

"Oh yeah! Enough stalling already partner! Let's show these mutts how to win a battle!" Derflinger yelled out confidently as Sasha brandished it experimentally to get a proper feel of the balance and weight of the sword and its attachment. Again, it was different but nothing she could not compensate for with a tighter grip and stronger swings. Sasha then crouched down before launching herself at the oncoming soldiers and immediately she could tell that something was wrong.

She was slower. She did not feel the familiar sensation of speed and power that she usually did when she charged into battle.

"Hey partner, you taking it easy or something? You seem kind of slow." And it looked like even Derflinger could tell as well.

As an elf, Sasha was generally superior to humans in nearly all aspects of existence. Elves were faster, stronger, smarter, lived longer, were less prone to illnesses and toxins, and were more sensitive to spirits and magical energy and thus better at casting magic. The original reason why Brimir added the passive physical boost and weapon mastery aspect in their familiar contract was in case Sasha would have had to fight monsters, several humans, or even other elves. It was a prudent move on his part as Sasha and her companions found themselves pitted against all of those and more. Sasha couldn't feel that boost anymore.

She abruptly stopped just as she was about to reach the edge of the river to meet the Galette soldiers.

"What's wrong?" Derflinger asked.

"I can't feel it, the power of my contract with him. I can't feel it anymore." Sasha stated before instinctively looking at the back of her left hand. Just as she had expected, the brand of the familiar contract runes were gone. All that was there was the smooth surface of her own hand.

"The runes are gone. How could I have not noticed that?" Sasha stated in a daze as she tried to figure out why.

"Maybe its because we're in another world...or maybe because you killed the guy who made the contract in the first place." Derflinger proposed two very plausible causes.

"It's probably the latter...or both." Sasha muttered to herself while tightening her grip on Derflinger-Palladion after being reminded of what she had done before Millhi summoned her.

"So you're handicapped now? Will we still be okay?" Derflinger asked a very valid question.

"I don't have supernatural speed and strength anymore but I am far from crippled Derflinger. Besides, I don't think we'll be going to be fighting dragons or demons or other elves so I believe that we should still be able to manage." Sasha stated a bit more defensively than she had intended but she hoped that Derflinger hadn't noticed.

"Alright then. If you think we can handle it then let's get to it! Those soldiers won't defeat themselves you know!" Derflinger responded as its previous fire started to return.

"Indeed." Sasha said simply before jumping up onto the logs and proceeding towards the enemy soldiers. Once she got to the other side, the soldiers all stopped and actually smiled at her as if they were admiring the former Gandalfr.

"Whoa! It's a real hero and she's really pretty too!" One of the Galette soldiers yelled out while pointing at Sasha with his sword.

"I bet we'll be famous if we can beat her!" Another one of them yelled out.

"How am I supposed to respond to something like that?" Sasha muttered to herself while shaking her head. Such a reaction from enemy soldiers was simply creepy for her.

"Hitting them should work wonders in making you feel better about it." Derflinger helpfully suggested. Sasha agreed with a nod and decided to get started.

"Alright! I'll be the one to beat her and become a hero myself!" Another one declared while swinging his sword around in an attempt to look intimidating. Unfortunately, his supposed moment of triumph was cut short when Derflinger was thrown right at his face.

"Coming through!" Derflinger yelled out before it hit the soldier and caused him to turn into a ball of fur that held a vague resemblance to a cat. The impact point thankfully was blunted thanks to Palladion serving as a scabbard for the talking sword. The sword spun around in the air a couple of times before getting embedded back into the ground by the tip.

"Ta da~! One for the sword!" The Devourer of Magi declared triumphantly after landing. The other soldiers there stood dumbfounded at the unexpected move and that gave Sasha all the time in the world to get in close. The elf quickly ran between two surprised soldiers before touching both of their backs as she passed. An orange emblem appeared where she touched them. A moment later, they too turned into furballs in a puff of white smoke.

"Partner! To me!" Derflinger yelled out and Sasha was a bit put off with how the sword was acting. Regardless, she still ran at the sword and pulled it out of the ground without breaking stride.

"They're not exactly the most well trained soldiers, are they?" Derflinger idly commented as Sasha used it to parry sword strikes from three different soldiers before smacking them all in the face with the side of the blade.

"They're not taking this seriously. It's likely either because their side is winning or they're really just playing around." Sasha pointed out as she spun away from a combination strike by four soldiers. She then took out two with Derflinger-Palladion and managing a touch knockout on the other two by jumping over them placing her hand on their heads.

"Well, better for us then! Wahahaha!" Derflinger declared before laughing out. Sasha wasn't really laughing though. As easy as the whole thing seemed to be so far, there was a reason why the soldiers of Biscotti were losing. Sasha knew from experience that the battles that start out easy are the ones that usually end up the most troublesome.

"Don't let your guard down. It would be pretty embarrassing if we were defeated by such foes." Sasha reminded the sword as they continued to cut through the soldiers of Galette.

...

"**Skycracking Cross!**" Eclair Martinozzi roared as she let loose another of her Emblem Arts at the charging Galette soldiers, defeating another good dozen of them.

"It never ends...no! I have to keep going! We don't need a hero in order to-" Eclair's self-encouraging words were cut off as a Galette soldier burst through the cloud of dust her attack produced. The knight captain was caught off guard by the sudden attack and was barely able to block the soldier's sword with her twin daggers.

"Why do you keep throwing meee!?" The loud cry from her left made both of them pause just before Derflinger-Palladion hit the soldier at the side of the head and turned him into another furball.

"Ow!" Derflinger complained after once again getting embedded into the ground a short distance away. All Eclair could do was to stare at the surreal sight for a moment as her mind tried to comprehend what she had just witnessed.

"That is because you are surprisingly effective as a projectile weapon." Sasha said simply as she walked past the still stunned Eclair before pulling her sword out of the ground.

"That is not my intended purpose and you know that!" Derflinger argued a very valid point since single-edged broadswords normally do not qualify as a projectile weapon...magic or otherwise.

"It works, why complain?" Sasha pointed out with a raised brow.

"Hey!" Eclair's yell cut off any more banter between the former Gandalfr and the Devourer of Magi. Sasha turned back to the knight captain and finally got a good look at Laurent's younger sister.

Their resemblance was immediate as Eclair sported the same kind of haircut that her brother did. However, her hair and her droopy ears were green instead of light brown but the siblings seemed to also share eye color as well. She wore a green and white short coat over a black version of the same dress-blouse-thing that Sasha was wearing under her own coat, although Eclair's skirt was far shorter than Sasha's. Eclair did not have any stockings though so her legs were bare while her feet only had a pair of metal toed shoes. In contrast, her hands were protected by what looked like heavy steel armguards that covered black fingerless gloves. The way she carried herself and the fact that she carried a pair of daggers indicated that she relied more on speed and agility more than anything else in combat.

"Captain Eclair Martinozzi?" Sasha asked anyway just to be sure.

"Wha-? Yes, I am she. Are you that hero the princess mentioned?" Eclair answered before turning the question back to the elf.

"Indeed. I had thought that finding you in the field would be difficult. Thankfully, your combat efforts are easy enough to see. My name is Sasha, this is my sword Derflinger." Sasha introduced herself before introducing her sword.

"Ah! Eclair Martinozzi of the Biscotti Praetorian Knights." The young woman returned the introduction.

"Wait! That's a girl?! She isn't feminine at all-Ow!" Derflinger protested before Sasha smacked the side of its blade on a nearby rock.

"I apologize for what this idiot just said." Sasha stated with a sigh while looking apologetically at the obviously offended young woman. Although, Sasha could understand where Derflinger was coming from. Eclair's haircut, clothing, and her overall demeanor would lead to the assumption that the knight captain was in fact a boy instead of a girl at first glance. Obviously, Sasha had more sense than to say that out loud of course.

"That sword of yours has a really foul mouth." Eclair growled out at the elf.

"Indeed it does. You are free to smack it around until you feel better once the battle is over if you wish." Sasha offered with a slight nod of her head.

"Hey!" Derflinger protested but was ignored by the two females.

"As if that thing is worth the effort. In any case, did my brother send you here?" Eclair declined the offer before asking what Sasha was doing there with her.

"Both him and Millhi directed me to you. They had stated that you would be the most ideal direct instructor for me to learn Emblem Arts. From what I had seen earlier, I now understood why they vouched for your skill." Sasha explained before turning back in the direction where Eclair had used one of her Emblem Arts before she arrived. The former Gandalfr then frowned after her elven eyes saw that even more soldiers were starting to advance in the distance.

"Alright then. I assume that you at least already know how to invoke your own emblem, right?" Eclair asked in an oddly subdued voice. Sasha turned back to her impromptu instructor and saw that she was glancing away with a bit of a blush on her cheeks.

"To an extent." Sasha admitted with a nod. Millhi was kind enough to teach her the most basic aspect of the art but insisted that she seek out Eclair to learn the rest.

"Right. Well then, letting Flognar energy flow through your body and focus it at the back of your hand, you can manifest your emblem. This is Level One." Eclair repeated Millhi's instructions and demonstrated it by showing Sasha her own emblem.

The elf noted that Eclair's emblem mirrored her overall color scheme as well. The emblem itself was a kite shield that had wings to the side and a pair of swords pointing down and slightly angled towards the middle of the shield. Curiously though, the sword on the left was positioned in front of the shield while the sword on the right was positioned behind it.

"That much, I can do." Sasha stated before concentrating and making her emblem appear at the back of her left hand.

Sasha's orange emblem's design was different from what she had seen from the other so far but the elf thought that it fit her nonetheless. The outer part of the emblem was in the shape of an ornate round mirror frame. The upper part of the frame had an orb which held the image of a pentagram inside. Inside the frame itself, there was the basic outline of the upper body of a woman with long flowing hair that spread out behind her like a cape. Her eyes were closed and her expression solemn with her head angled slightly downward. She wore a large helmet with a visor and a pair of wings spread outward to the sides. Her body was bare of any distinct clothing or markings save for the basic outline of breasts and feminine hips. The only other clothing she had were a pair of heavy gauntlets that covered the entirety of her forearms. Those same arms were crossed over one another on top of her stomach and in each hand was a sword that was perfectly pointed upwards. Held in her left hand was a sword that resembled Derflinger while her right hand held a double-edged broadsword that with a design that Sasha had never seen before.

"Good. Now, reinforce the image of your emblem in your mind and focus on bringing it to the outside world. Level Two!" Eclair continued with a determined nod. A much larger version of her emblem suddenly appered behind her and Sasha could feel the power flowing between Eclair and the emblem she made.

"Projection of power into the world itself. Hmmm..." Sasha muttered before humming to herself while glancing at her own emblem. She then closed her hand into a fist and concentrated. She could feel the distinct pull of something as she focused on making her emblem larger and pushing it out. She was rewarded with the same effect as Eclair when her emblem appeared behind her.

"Whoa! That's huge!" Derflinger commented after Sasha projected her emblem.

"Not bad. The only thing left is pouring more power into your emblem in order to further reinforce and empower it. That is Level Three!" Eclair nodded approvingly before her emblem suddenly became brighter and the image became much more clear and solid. Sasha followed her instructions and felt a warm and comforting feeling from behind her. The looked back to her emblem and saw that it became much more solid looking as well.

"Huh...blonde hair." Sasha idly noted after finally noticing that the woman in her emblem indeed had golden hair. She also noted that the visor of the woman's helmet was blue and that double-edged sword she did not recognized had the same color scheme as Palladion.

"Good! Now focus all the Flognar Energy you gathered in your emblem into your and aim it at the enemy!" Eclair yelled out before extending her left hand out towards the oncoming Galette soldiers. Sasha complied and could feel her left hand become hotter and hotter. The feeling was different from when she cast magic back home. The energy she was using felt warm yet cold at the same time. The power was there, yes. However, it seemed...detached, impersonal, and artificial compared to when she had to call on the spirits for her magic. Sasha pushed those thoughts aside in favor of aiming properly.

"Haaaa!" Both Sasha and Eclair yelled out at the same time as a stream of green and orange light shot out from them before twisting around one another and hitting the enemy formation. The result was as to be expected. All the Galette soldiers who were caught up in the beams and the subsequent explosion were all knocked out and turned into furballs.

"That...is an Emblem Cannon. You normally fire them off from a weapon because it sometimes hurts your hand if you gather too much power all at once. They're very effective against regular soldiers but they tire you out easily after a few shots and they can be deflected by highly skilled fighters that use special weapons and armor." Eclair explained while trying to catch her breath. While she was doing that, Sasha walked over to Derflinger-Palladion to retrieve the sword from the ground.

"That was actually pretty impressive looking partner." The sword admitted as Sasha lifted it up and let the back edge of the blade rest on her shoulder before walking back to Eclair.

"Impressive looking? I suppose. Impressive in anything else? No. Not at all." Sasha said in a mildly disappointed tone of voice.

"Not impressive? Why? Are our Emblem Arts not good enough for the great summoned hero?" Eclair asked with a frown, not even masking her taking offense to Sasha's opinion.

"Not at all. It has its merits as you have already stated. However, I feel that its disadvantages, that you have also stated, make it impractical to use." Sasha clarified before explaining the reason for her comment.

"The Emblem Cannon itself is basically just gathering as much Flognar power as possible and directing it to your enemy. The concept itself is sound and straightforward but the execution is lacking. The bright light being given off by the energy blast it creates is Flognar power being bled off in order to propel itself forward. That means that the amount of force and the maximum distance it can travel completely depends on the caster and how much power they can gather. Retaining that power as you gather it as well as launching the stream of light causes fatigue because I assume that your people were never normally meant to hold in that kind of power at those amounts. Even if you are able to successfully use it, there is always a chance that someone can deflect it." Sasha continued to an ever more surprised Eclair with each word uttered.

As an elf, Sasha did not have any problems in gathering and retaining ambient energy from the world around her. It was the sort of thing her race was very skilled at...much more so than humans and most other races anyway. To her, most of the limitations weren't really that big of a deal but she still thought that using the Emblem Cannon was best kept situational just to be safe. They just take too long to use and it would just be a waste it someone could simply slap it away.

"Partner!" Derflinger suddely yelled out just as a blue-green flash of light shot out from within the new cloud of dust that Sasha's and Eclair's combination Emblem Cannon Attack made.

The former Gandalfr placed herself between Eclair and the rapidly approaching stream of light before intercepting it with an upwards swing using Derflinger-Palladion. Sasha was relieved when her sword started absorbing the energy from the sudden attack, proving that Derflinger can still use its main ability even against Flognar power. The Devourer of Magi ate up the remaining amounts of power left and revealed that there was an arrow within the stream of light.

"Well, that answers that question..." Sasha mused before knocking away the no-longer-Flognar-power-infused arrow. The elf had wondered if she could possibly infuse Flognar power into items, like Palladion since Derflinger would have just eaten up the energy, to get additional effects. Thankfully, she did not have to do any experiments to try to prove or disprove the idea.

"Hoooh~! It seems that Biscotti's hero might just be someone who is actually worth fighting!" Sasha narrowed her eyes at the confident and seemingly condescending female voice from within the cloud of dust.

"That's..." Eclair started before four more bolts of energy shot out at them. This time, both of them deflected the attacks together. Sasha did not even bother to try to get Derflinger to absorb the energy and just swatted three of the bolts away while Eclair was able to get the last one. The attacks were able to clear away the cloud of dust to reveal who the mystery attacker was. For the third time that day, Sasha saw someone who looked like they knew what they were doing in a battlefield.

The newcomer had white hair that went down to her waist. Atop her head are small, pointed cat ears of the same color. Her eyes were bright yellow and she even had a slight fang protruding from the smirk she was giving the two of them. She was very well-endowed with a curvaceous figure, as opposed to Eclair's own figure. She was wearing a small white, strapless shirt that barely covered her chest and upper torso. She also had a small blue half-vest on top of that which had enlarged shoulders, likely armored Sasha had guessed, that was left open at the front. Her hands and forearms were protected by black gauntlets that resembled the ones Eclair was wearing. She also wore very tough looking and very short blue shorts which have crossing straps over them that probably held her black metal hip armor in place. She was also wearing black metal greaves that reached up to her knees. Sasha also noted that she was armed with a dark blue bow, likely the one that was used to shoot at them a moment ago.

Oh, and she was on top of the hill the other soldiers advanced from and was riding on the back of a red-eyed dark grey feathered Cercle that was much bulkier than Harlan. The way it was ridden reminded Sasha of armored mounts since it had a blue rimmed kite shield at the front.

"Finally! Someone who looks like they can put up a fight! And she's a drop dead gorgeous woman too! I'd pierce her heavens if you know what I mean~! Wahahaha!" Sasha sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose after Derflinger started screaming out at the newcomer like a lecherous old man. That always happened whenever the sword is exposed to attractive women during or immediately after a battle.

"Hey! Show some respect! That is Princess Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois! Heir to the throne and leader of the entire Galette army!" Eclair reprimanded the sword with a growl.

"She's the enemy though, right?" Sasha asked with a raised brow.

"She's still royalty so show Princess Leo the respect she deserves!" Eclair yelled out.

"Yeah! Royally delicious looking!" Derflinger shot back.

"Enough!" Sasha decalared with a raised voice which silenced both Derflinger and Eclair. The elf then stepped forward while resting the back edge of Derflinger-Palladion on her right shoulder again. The newly identified Leonmitchelli, or Princess Leo as Eclair referred to her, maintained her smirk and merely raised an eyebrow at Derflinger's comments. She did not even look at all that concerned when Sasha stepped forward.

"So you are Galette's princess?" Sasha asked in order to confirm it from the person herself. In response, Leo put her bow away before wagging her left index finger at Sasha.

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Princess is such a soft term. I demand that you refer to me by the proper title of Your Majesty! Do not forget that you worms!" Leo declared imperiously to them.

"So you are then. I had heard from Millhi that you and her were close friends since childhood, Princess Leonmitchelli." Sasha ignored the display as she was neither impressed nor intimidated by it. She had faced far more imposing figures in the past and even had to lay more than a few of them low herself. Leo's smirk faltered for a moment after Sasha blatantly ignored her order to call her Your Majesty before she schooled it back into place.

"And what significance would that have in this battle, Summoned Hero?" Leo asked curiously at the seemingly tangential inquiry.

"My name is Sasha, you may refer to me as such. As to the significance of my words, I simply wished to ask you something if previously stated facts were proven true." Sasha calmly said with a slight nod.

"Oh? And what would you ask of me, Summoned Hero?" Leo asked back to the former Gandalfr.

"Why are you trying so hard to defeat Biscotti? Even so far as to step forward into the field personally. What motivates you to try to crush the armies of your friend's beloved country?" Sasha asked the princess who clearly was not smiling anymore.

"Have you ever tried to achieve what is thought to be impossible for the sake of those important to you? To resolve yourself to keep going forward to that goal no matter what?" Leo responded with her own vague question.

"Yes." A question that Sasha answered immediately. The complete lack of hesitation and the sheer conviction in Sasha's eyes made Leo give pause.

"That is your motivation? A goal that you should not be able to reach? Something impossible? And for it you are willing to do anything? Follow me or be crushed under my heel, but do not get in my way? If that is your mindset for your campaign against Biscotti, then let me give you some advice." Sasha continued in a seemingly disappointed tone of voice before locking her eyes with Leo's.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Be sure that you prepared for the consequences once it all crumbles to dust at your fingertips." The former Gandalfr stated in a cold and hardened tone of voice that sent a chill down Leo's and Eclair's spines. The princess of Galette shook her head before regarding Sasha like she was just only starting to really look at the elf for the first time.

"Hmph! I appears I will need to take you more seriously. I will consider your counsel..." Leo said before her letting her smirk creep back on to her expression.

"...after I win this battle! Let us be off Daumas! Hai~yo~!" Leo declared before riding off and away from Sasha and Eclair.

"Hey! What was that all about?" Eclair asked after walking up to Sasha.

"We win if we defeat her, right?" Sasha mused out loud while keeping her gaze at where Leo was a moment ago, ignoring Eclair's question.

"What?" The young knight captain asked in wonder.

"Even if not, she should be worth a lot of points." Sasha continued while narrowing her eyes.

"Well yes, defeating the princess would net a lot of points and we can win if we can get her to surrender...but that's not the point!" Eclair muttered before recomposing herself but was beaten to the punch by Derflinger.

"Hey partner! Something seriously weird is going on with me!" The sword suddenly yelled out in alarm. Both women looked at it with varying degrees of skepticism on how serious its concern actually was.

"What is it this time?" Sasha asked in mild annoyance.

"It's still inside me! I can feel it! That Flognar stuff! It doesn't disappear like regular magic energy does!" Derflinger yelled out in obvious panic.

"...what?" Sasha asked dumbly at the sword's words.

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" Eclair asked, not really comprehending the significance of what Derflinger said. Sasha shook her head before looking closer at the exposed edge and saw that it had a very faint blue-green glow, her mind already racing as fast as Daumas' sprint across the battlefield at the implications.

"You don't understand. I designed Derflinger to be able to harmlessly remove magical energy that it consumes. It was never meant to ever retain anything it absorbs. Obviously, this is not what is happening here. Do you feel anything else that seems strange?" Sasha explained before asking the sword for any other changes.

"Aside from the feeling that there is something else in here other than me? Not really. It doesn't hurt or anything, it just feels different." Derflinegr responded.

"Can you force it out? No..." Sasha asked before changing her mind about it. She closed her eyes before opening them again a few moments later.

"Can you channel it into Palladion?" Sasha ventured and was met with silence.

"I can try..." Derflinger muttered, clearly considering its wielder's suggestion.

"Good. Try, then. You have until the moment we catch up with that princess to verify it." She instructed before strapping Derflinger-Palladion to her back again before turning to Eclair.

"Come on." She then said before running off in the direction where Daumas ran off to.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Eclair yelled out before running after her.

...

"I really hope that you are not thinking that we can catch up to Princess Leo on foot when she's charging with Daumas." Eclair pointed out as she continued to run alongside Sasha as they chased down the princess of Galette. Her trail was easy enough to follow. All they had to do was follow the bird tracks and the Biscotti furballs littered on the ground.

"She has a clear goal, or so she thinks. However, she is still prideful and now knows that we are a threat. She won't allow Biscotti to lose without making sure she teaches me a lesson first." Sasha responded as the two of them reached what looked like a gladiator pit that was dug into the ground. There were several regular soldiers from both sides fighting both inside and around the arena.

However, standing alone with her eyes closed at the very center of the arena was Leonmitchelli herself. The shield that Sasha thought was armor for Daumas was now held in her left hand. In her right hand was a large dark blue battleaxe that vaguely reminded the former Gandalfr of the bow Leo previously wielded. Despite all the fighting around her, the soldiers were giving the Galette princess a lot of personal space.

"See?" Sasha pointed out while nodding towards to waiting lion.

"Hmmm...so she really does want to challenge you then?" Eclair asked but her tone indicated that she already knew the answer.

"Derflinger?" The elf called out to the sword on her back.

"Yeah. Looks like I can direct that Flognar stuff into Palladion like a magic conductor but it will take me a bit of time. I'm not really used to doing this kind of thing." Derflinger responded, a favorable one in Sasha's opinion.

"Good, get started then. Pour everything you have into it just in case. We might be able to use that energy for this fight." The elf stated before stepping forward and pulling Derflinger-Palladion off her back.

"We can't win against her if we just blindly charge in like a couple if idiots." Eclair warned but still prepared her daggers all the same.

"Then we don't charge. Besides, we don't have any element of surprise and she's obviously waiting for us. Might as well take our time to check the field." Sasha said with a nod before slowly walking down into the arena with Eclair following close behind. Like with Leonmitchelli, the regular soldiers paid the two of them no mind and some even went out of their way to give them room to move forward. That behavior made Sasha wonder if this was deliberately ordered by Leo or if there was some sort of odd unspoken rule wherein regular soldiers are not allowed to interfere with a possible fight between officers. She then noted that there were several furballs, both cats and dogs, littered all over the battlefield. Curiously several of them were within the immediate vicinity of Leo, likely made as an example by the battleaxe wielding princess not to try anything to her.

"I apologize but I've yet to come up with a response to your words earlier." Leo stated before opening her eyes and looking right at Sasha and Eclair once they reached the center of the arena itself.

"Unfortunate, however such a thing needs time for your to come to a conclusion you would be satisfied with." Sasha responded as she and Eclair wordlessly put some distance between one another in order to be able to attack Leo from two angles.

"Indeed. I may not be able to put it into words, so let me put it into action instead!" Leo said before raising her battleaxe into the air before her emblem suddenly appeared behind her. It was already solid looking and was practically radiating power.

"A Level Three emblem already?" Sasha asked with a raised brow before glancing down and getting an idea.

"Behold! This is the power of the lion! **Lion King Flame Form**-Augh!" Leo's grand declaration was cut short when a cat furball hit her face. Her emblem faded away because of the distraction while Leo shook her head before trying to look for the source of the ballistic furball. She blinked when she saw Sasha casually holding onto another furball with a bored expression on her face.

"What are you-hey! Stop throwing them!" Leo yelled out indignantly after Sasha threw the furball in her hands at the princess. Leonmitchelli slapped away the poor oncoming furball with her shield. Sasha used this chance to close in on Leo and attempt an overhand slash with Derflinger-Palladion.

"What do you think you are doing, Summoned Hero Sasha?!" Leo snarled at the elf as she blocked the sword with her shield.

"Let me show you, Princess Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois." Sasha responded before backing off and performing a straight thrust that Leo also blocked with her shield. Sasha's emblem then appeared behind her before being turned into a Level Three almost as quickly as Leo's emblem did.

"How did-" Leo tried to ask with widening eyes but, like Sasha stated, the elf decided to demonstrate her point instead.

"**Emblem Cannon!**" Sasha declared and a large stream of orange light shot out from Derflinger-Palladion's tip and right into Leo's shield.

"Raaagh!" The princess of Galette screamed out as she was blasted into the far side of the arena, taking out a few Galette and Biscotti soldiers along the way.

"Never underestimate an elf when it comes to channelling ambient power present in nature." Sasha muttered before turning to Eclair, who still looked surprised at the sudden attack.

"Hit her again!" Sasha yelled at the young woman. Eclair nodded and crossed her arms over her chest as her emblem appeared behind her. Leo was able to get back to her feet just as the Praetorian Knight Captain prepared for her strike.

"**Double Skycracking Cutter!**" Eclair declared before making a slashing motion with her left dagger then her right dagger that resulted in two streams of green light that headed straight for Leo.

"As if I'd left you!" Leo roared out defiantly before her emblem appeared behind her once again.

"**Lion King Fang!**" Leo's battleaxe was suddenly engulfed in a bright blue-green light as she struck it down at Eclair's own attack. Sasha thought that the light took on the shape of the jaws of a great beast right before the two attacks made contact. A large explosion followed that stunned everyone in the arena and took out the soldiers who were too close to the epicenter of the explosion.

"Did we get her?" Eclair asked as a good dozen furballs that got caught in the explosion fell from the sky.

"Of course not! Come on!" Sasha yelled out in frustration before picking up another furball and running forward to the cloud of dust that the latest explosion made. The former Gandalfr instinctively knew that a foe like Leo would not be defeated easily, especially after she saw the princess took her Emblem Cannon point-blank and stood up a few moments after hitting the ground.

"Wait!" Eclair yelled out before spinning her daggers into a reverse grip and following after Sasha.

"Raaaargh!" A loud roar came from within the cloud of smoke that almost made the two of them stop in their tracks. The cloud suddenly blew apart to reveal a very angry looking Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois, her emblem prominently displayed behind her. Both her shield and her battleaxe were nicked and cracked at the edges. Her clothes were slightly ripped up and even her hip armor, gauntlets, and greaves had cracks. However, despite all the apparent damage on her person, Leo's eyes still burned with an intense determination. Sasha quickly threw the rather frightened furball in her hands right at Leo.

"Never again!" The Lion roared before smacking away the unfortunate furball with her shield.

"Haaa!" Sasha quickly followed up with an upwards slash from Derflinger-Palladion that was met with Leo's battleaxe.

"Not even a hero summoned using the sacred ritual will stop me from what I need to accomplish!" Leo snarled at the elf who said nothing in return. They exchanged three more blows before Sasha backed off to be replaced by a charging Eclair.

"Prepare yourself, Princess Leo!" Eclair yelled out before she started striking at Leo over and over again with her daggers. To her credit, she was actually able to force Leo back because of the speed of her attacks. Leo had to block and parry using both her shield and her battleaxe because Eclair was fast enough to keep her on the defensive for a bit.

"I told you to only call me..." Leo said while blocking another combination of dagger strikes from Eclair. After another parry, she discarded her shield and held her battleaxe with both hands.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" She roared at Eclair before swinging her battleaxe at the knight. Eclair was able to put her daggers up to defend but the difference in power was simply too great.

"Whaaaaah!" Eclair screamed out as she was thrown back across the arena.

"**Emblem Cannon!**" Sasha fired off another shot as soon as Eclair was clear from her line of fire. Leo was able to see it coming and lifted her battleaxe up into the air with both hands before her emblem once again appeared behind her.

"**Lion King Breaker!**" Leo declared before smashing her Flognar infused battleaxe into Sasha's Emblem Cannon.

"She's smiling at us! Run!" Derflinger suddenly yelled out and Sasha saw that Leo was indeed giving them a crazed smile.

"Have it back, Hero!" Leo yelled before following through with her strike and sending back the stream of light that Sasha's Emblem Cannon fired right back at the caster. Sasha did not have enough time to dodge so she held Derflinger-Palladion in a guard stance to block the attack.

"Guh! Can you take it, Derflinger?" Sasha asked her sword as she continued to brace herself against the Emblem Cannon that Leo sent back to her.

"Yeah! No problem here partner! It's actually even getting easier to dump all this Flognar stuff into Palladion!" Derflinger yelled out above the noise that was produced as it ate the energy of the Emblem Cannon. Eventually, Derflinger was able to absorb every last drop of energy but what Sasha saw in front of her did not really inspire any confidence in their situation. Leo was able to retrieve her shield and was now sporting a very confident smile as she pointed her battleaxe in her right hand to the sky while her emblem displayed brilliantly behind her.

"This is bad..." Sasha turned to Eclair after hearing the girl point out the obvious. She still had both of her daggers but she was looking worse for wear and was breathing heavily.

"As I was saying earlier before I was so very rudely interrupted..." Leo stated before smirking at Sasha as if she had already won. The former Gandalfr wouldn't admit it but she knew that she and Eclair were not in the best of situations at that moment.

"**Lion King Flame Formation!**" Leo declared and a copy of her emblem appeared on the ground at her feet before several pillars of fire started erupting from the ground.

"Oh my..." Sasha muttered as more and more pillars of flames started erupting everywhere and defeating soldiers from both sides.

"Look out! The sky is falling!" Derflinger yelled out which made Sasha and Eclair look up.

"How did your sword even see that?!" Eclair asked incredulously after they both saw the pieces of earth and rocks that were launched up because of the eruptions fall back down to the ground. Of course, since the eruptions involved great amounts of fire, that meant that the falling rocks were also on fire.

"I think we have more immediate problems at the moment." Sasha pointed out before the two of them jumped back in order to avoid getting caught by the advancing eruptions.

"We can't get near her like this. There's only one real thing we can do for this situation..." Eclair stated before trailing off.

"Run?" Sasha asked.

"Run." Eclair acknowledged with a nod.

"Run!" Derflinger yelled before Sasha and Eclair turned away from the expanding inferno and ran.

"**Lion King Great Explosion!**" Leo's voice echoed before a massive explosion expanded around her and consuming everything in the arena in flames.

"We can't outrun that!" Sasha yelled out at Eclair after seeing the rapidly expanding sphere of fiery death.

"Haaah!" Eclair yelled out before throwing one of her daggers into the ground a short distance away.

"Give me your hand!" The knight yelled back while offering her left hand to the former Gandalfr right before she reached the dagger embedded in the ground. Sasha reached out with her own left hand and the two of them gripped each other's wrist a moment before Eclair planted her foot on the end of the hilt of her dagger.

"**Fly!**" Eclair yelled out and her emblem appeared on the ground around her dagger. She and Sasha were then launched up into the air by an Emblem Cannon that was launched into the ground by Eclair's dagger. Sasha looked down as they ascended into the sky and saw the entire arena get consumed in a massive red sphere before detonating and ending up as a cloud of black smoke.

"I think we're safe. You can stop going up now." Sasha suggested to Eclair. The knight nodded before letting go of Sasha's wrist and spinning around in the air to retrieve the dagger that was used to launch them up there.

"Wow! That Leo sure knows how to get a point across." Derflinger commented as they started to descend back to the ground.

"She's probably tired after all that. We can probably take her by surprise if she thinks we got caught up by the explosion too." Eclair said as the ground slowly started to creep up to them.

"We will still need a distraction first, just in case. She managed to counter our attacks with her own if she sees it coming. It will be better to keep her off balance." Sasha warned, reminding Eclair that Leo blocked, not one, but two Emblem Attacks by herself.

"Fine. How will we do it?" Eclair asked after acknowledging Sasha's point. The elf had considered simply dropping down on Leo and to try to overwhelm her with strikes, but what Eclair did earlier gave her another idea to use instead.

"Derflinger, were you able to channel the Flognar Power into Palladion?" Sasha asked while squinting her eyes down at the arena. She could make out what was left of the structure as well as a very large number of small round objects dotted everywhere, likely furballs. It wasn't hard for her to pick out Leo walking to the center of the arena since she was the only thing still moving.

"Yeah! All that weird stuff is inside it now! Everything feels all warm and comfy now, very nice!" Derflinger responded happily.

"Good. Eclair, we have our distraction." Sasha said with a nod before turning to the knight.

"You have a plan?" Eclair asked with a raised brow.

"Yes." Sasha said with a nod before holding Derflinger-Palladion in a reverse grip with her right hand. The former Gandalfr then wound her right hand back in a throwing position while using her left hand to support the side of the blade.

"Hey! What are you-" Derflinger started to protest before Sasha's emblem appeared at the end of its pommel.

"Since everyone seems to be naming their attacks for some reason, I suppose I can call this...**Derflinger-Palladion Kick.**" Sasha mused before launching Derflinger-Palladion like an Emblem Cannon boosted javelin.

"THIS IS NOT A KIIIICK!" Derflinger screamed out as it shot down from the sky like a very distressed orange lightning bolt.

"That's your plan?! Throwing your sword at Princess Leo?!" Eclair asked in shock at what Sasha had just done. Imagine her expression when the elf suddenly grabbed her by the front of her clothes.

"Only the first step. You are step two." The elf said with a slight smile.

"Wait! You ca-aaaaahhh!" Eclair started to protest but was far too late as Sasha threw her at the ground after Derflinger. Sasha then adjusted her body to dive after them.

In the meantime, Leo was looking around the arena for any signs of the summoned hero of Biscotti and the knight captain. The princess frowned when there was no evidence that they were still there as the only casualties she could see were the furballs of the regular soldiers from both sides. She then turned to the large holographic cube in the sky that showed the active commentators for the battle.

"Framboise! Can you confirm if the hero and droopy-ears were among the casualties?" Leo asked before her ears twitched at the sound that resembled the cracking of thunder from the sky.

"Damn!" She cursed before looking straight up and positioning her shield just in time to block the sword that fell from the sky.

"Hey there beautiful~! You invade here often? The name is Derflinger, by the way. Am I coming on too strong for your taste?" Derflinger wasted no time in trying to flirt with Leonmitchelli the first chance it got, even as it continued to try to drive itself through her shield because of the boost it was getting from Sasha's emblem.

"Didn't you know? Women dislike men who try to force themselves on them without their consent or desire." Leo shot back before being forced to one knee. Despite her confidence and nonchalance, she was starting to get very tired. Fighting two skilled opponents was an absolute joy for her, but she was starting to think that she might have pushed herself just a tiny bit too far in this battle. Maybe. She was not about to admit that to anyone of course. Leo then growled in annoyance when Eclair performed a three point landing a few meters in front of her.

"Guh! Huh?" Eclair dumbly blurted out after she saw Leo's current predicament. Thankfully, she was able to snap out of her trance and she twirled her daggers in her hands before settling into an attack stance.

"Prepare yourself, Princess Leo!" Eclair yelled out before charging at Leo. The princess of Galette adjusted her grip on her battleaxe in her other hand before blocking a double overhand strike from Eclair.

"Is that the only thing you can say when you attack me?!" Leo yelled back at Eclair as they struggled against each other. However, the lion's blood froze when she heard something land behind her.

"Then how about 'Surprise'?" Sasha asked Leo before reaching out and placing her hands on the princess' back and head. Two orange emblems appeared and then Sasha's eyes widened after sometheing very peculiar happened. Sasha had expected that Leo would turn into a furball just like all the other soldiers. Instead, both her battleaxe and her shield shattered with surprising force. Eclair was pushed back a couple of feet and Derflinger was flung back behind Sasha before getting embedded into the ground again. Afterwhich, everything Leo was wearing save for her shorts and shirt suddenly crumbled or shredded by itself, leaving the princess wearing something that Sasha normally used to wear.

"Umm...what are you doing?" Leo asked in a flat tone of voice while turning her head back to regard Sasha. The former Gandalfr had an intense look on concentration on her face as she continued to touch and grope Leo's back and head.

"Why will you not turn into a furball like the others? Do I need to touch you somewhere else? Do I need to be rougher?" The elven woman asked suspiciously before trying to push her hands harder into Leo's head and back.

"Ow! What are you talking about you crazy hero?! Those who have strong spirits and can manifest their emblems don't turn into furballs!" Leo yelled out before stepping away from the increasingly grabby elf.

"Is that so?" The former Gandalfr asked with a quirked eyebrow before turning around and pulling Derflinger-Palladion out of the ground.

"Did we win?" Derflinger asked its wielder.

"I'm verifying that right now." Sasha said before turning back to Leo and assuming a fighting stance.

"And what are you trying to do now?" Leo asked with a sigh and a roll of her eyes.

"Since you won't turn into a furball, I will just need to knock you out to ensure that you are out of the fight. Wait..." Sasha stated before lowering her sword and giving out a thoughtful hum. She then turned back to Leo before separating Derflinger from Palladion and discarding the scabbard.

"Surrender or else I will stab and cut you until you do." Sasha declared while pointing the tip of Derflinger right at Leo.

"You would actually try to torture me into surrendering?" Leo asked with a hard edge in her voice, clearly offended by the intention.

"What do you think you're doing threatening Princess Leo like that after defeating her fair and square?! Aren't you supposed to be a hero?!" Eclair yelled out before positioning herself between Sasha and Leo while taking up a defensive stance. In response, Sasha merely raised a brow at her and gave her a sardonic smile.

"I've never called myself a hero, that is just a title Millhi and the rest of you placed on me. I'm fighting for her because I owe her my life for summoning me-wait, defeat?" Sasha stated before asking about what Eclair just said.

"Yes! Princess Leo does not turn into a furball so the only indicator as to her defeat is that her weapons and armor break apart!" Eclair yelled at the elf.

"Ah..." Sasha uttered before lowering Derflinger.

"Hmph! This is the hero that Millhi chose? Foolishness..." Sasha heard Leo mutter to herself before gesturing to something in the sky. A few moments later a cat person that riding on an odd looking...thing...flew down and handed the princess what looked like part of a sword's hilt.

"I have been defeated by Biscotti's hero and cannot continue. Therefore I command all Galette forces to cease their attacks. We surrender." Leo suddenly stated before turning back to Sasha and walking up to her.

"I look forward to the next time we meet in the battlefield. I will make sure that I invade you thoroughly then." The princess declared with a confident smirk before turning around and walking away.

"And I'll be looking forward to stripping your armor off then too babe!" Derflinger yelled out after the princess.

"So we won?" Sasha asked Eclair just to be sure since it just seemed too easy.

"Yes. Now, I want to talk to you about the way you behaved during this battle-hey! Don't just walk away from me!" Eclair yelled after Sasha started making her way out of the arena.

"Are you sure we can just walk away? Greenie over there looks pretty upset." Derflinger reminded Sasha as it was slid back into Palladion and strapped back onto the elf's back.

"I'm tired Derflinger...very tired." was all Sasha said while continuing to walk away from it all.

...

"Please do not hesitate to call upon us should you need anything, Hero Sasha." Rizel stated before politely bowing to Sasha after showing her to her room.

"Thank you. I do not think I will need anything else tonight. I just want to rest. Good night, Miss Rizel." Sasha responded with a tired smile. She did not even bother to try to correct the maid on how she did not need to always put Hero on her name. She'd deal with it some other time.

"And to you, Hero Sasha." Rizel returned the greeting before going off to do whatever it was she does there at night. Sasha entered the room and immediately thought that it was too big for her. She paid it mind for a moment longer before her eyes saw the very comfortable bed that was prepared for her use. She removed Derflinger-Palladion from her back and propped it up on the wall near the bed. She then quietly sat down on the mattress and noticed how soft it felt compared to what she used to sleep in.

"Hey, partner...if you-" Deflinger started, its first words since they returned to the castle, but was unable to continue after Sasha held up her right hand.

"Not tonight, Deflinger. Just...I just..." Sasha muttered as she hunched over, fatigue finally rearing its ugly head.

She was able to maintain combat functionality earlier only because everything was happening so fast. Her instinct and experience simply took over as Sasha fought. Gandalfr boost or not, the only thing on her mind during that battle was to not lose.

Yes, everything happened so fast. Her discovery and application of Flonyard's Seal Cannon System using Derflinger...with help from its new scabbard, which was ironically Sasha's chosen form for the Divine Sword Palladion. Her duel against Princess Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois while fighting alongside the Captain of the Praetorian Guards, Eclair Martinozzi. Her summoning to this strange yet peaceful land.

The war between Humans and Elves. The sacrifice and deaths of their friends and companions. The sudden and cruelly systematic destruction of their hopes and dreams. The murder of her lover Brimir by her own hands.

Yes, everything happened so fast that she never really had time to simply sit down and think about it. Now that she did though...

...

The entire city, and indeed the country of Biscotti as a whole, cheered and danced the night away in celebration of their victory to the tune of recorded songs sung by their own princess. The entire country was alight with smiles and joy from every man, woman, and child who called it home.

However, inside one of the most luxurious rooms deep within the hallowed halls of the Biscotti Royal Palace, the newly minted summoned hero wept and grieved. No one save her own sword knew, witnessed, or understood what she had lost the very same day of Biscotti's grand victory. Derflinger honored its creator's wish and remained silent for the duration of the night.

...

In case anyone wonders what Sasha's emblem looks like, it is a combination of the Founder's Round Mirror and the emblem of Isumi's Valkyries from Muv-Luv Alternative.

Please R&R~!


End file.
